The Secret Circle: The Second Season
by Lavender and Ink
Summary: Faced with the looming threat of the Balcoin siblings, the Circle must find courage in themselves and strength in each other in order to survive. But rivalries, jealousy, and the lure of power may prove to be their biggest dangers. The highly-anticipated sequel to the short-lived television series, "The Second Season" follows in its wake of disaster, romance, and deadly secrets.
1. Episode 1: Return

A/N: Hello, everyone! I recently began watching the show on Neftlix, and instantly fell in love. Like all of you probably were, I was devastated to hear that the show had been cancelled. Craving to find out how the Circle would cope with the events of Season 1, I decided to take to Fanfiction. I'm writing this as a way to relive the experience of the show, as well as to hopefully offer up fans a way to experience the amazing characters and stories we came to adore. I hope that you enjoy this story. I'll be updating each chapter as a new "episode" for Season 2, and have consulted some of Andrew Miller's interviews in regards to the direction he saw Season 2 going in.

So, without further ado, please enjoy "Episode 1" and leave your feedback in reviews! Hearing what you think is really important to me, and I'd love to see what you want more of in future episodes!

Disclaimer: I do not own or reserve copyright to "The Secret Circle", only my original prose.

Episode 2.1:  
Return

The thick rain rolled down the window of the Java Brew. The smearing of raindrops made the headlights outside blur into yellow streaks. Cassie stared outside, her gaze fixed somewhere past the rain and the cars and the twilight of the September night. Her shift had ended two hours ago, but she didn't have the energy or desire to leave and return to the cold, empty house she now lived in by herself.

Ever since Jane had died that spring, school had ended, and Diana had left town, Cassie had felt the same distraction and emptiness. The sun that summer seemed too bright, the customers at the Java Brew too loud, and the pity of Chance Harbor's residents too overbearing. With every sad smile, every uninvited squeeze of the hand, she could sense what they were thinking: _Poor little Cassie Blake. First her father, then her mother, and now her grandmother. What a poor, sad little girl. _She was exhausted by it. First her father, the stranger she never knew, then her mother, the woman who spent 16 years keeping the secrets of who they really were. Her grandmother, the only family she had left, and then her father, again, the dark witch who destroyed her mother's sense of security, betrayed her best friends' parents, murdered her grandmother, and then spent months manipulating her. If only Chance Harbor knew what Cassie had really lost, then they would know how tragic everything really was.

The numbness of the summer wouldn't have been nearly so unbearable if the Circle had remained together. Despite Cassie's pleading, the group refused to bind themselves. And despite Faye's insistence that they would be together whether they were bound or not, Cassie found herself drifting from the others. With her best friend out of town, Cassie found herself overwhelmed with loss and confusion, and had no one to talk to about it. Being near Adam was still too painful; each time they were together felt like ripping off the scab and bleeding fresh all over again. Faye and Melissa had been running through Chance Harbor, spelling up fun and whimsy to cure their boredom. They were enjoying a holiday in the sun while Cassie was still reeling with the power of defeating Blackwell and the pain of losing the people she cared most about. Jake trailed after Faye when he wasn't brooding in his bedroom. Their pain couldn't seem to connect them, however, and just built a bigger chasm between the two until they stopped communicating altogether, despite their daily proximity.

And now school was starting again, and Cassie would begin her senior year at Chance Harbor High School. After Jane died, Cassie was put in the distant care of an advocate while some vague "they" tried to track down a relative who could act as guardian for Cassie during her last year of high school. As she knew it would be, the search proved empty. Kate Meade, Diana's grandmother, volunteered to act as Cassie's advocate until she turned eighteen and could claim her inheritance, including the Blake house and the rest of Jane's estate. The arrangement proved rather lonely, however, and Cassie felt that it was Kate's attempt of trying to remain loyal to Jane and make up to Cassie for her role in everything that had gone so wrong last spring.

One thing kept Cassie moving through the summer, and that was knowing that Diana would return in September. At first she had truly believed that Diana had left Chance Harbor forever. Once she began her weekly visitations with Kate, which Cassie typically referred to as their awkward dinners or coffees, the woman assured her that Diana would be back to finish high school. Cassie realized she should have known; Diana was too mature and devoted to turn her back on her life in Chance Harbor forever. She was sailing with Grant as part of his ship's crew, and they would dock the night before school started. Tonight.

Cassie continued to stare out the window, watching the rain dance down and wondering if Diana was sailing into port right now and watching the same frigid, Chance Harbor rain.

* * *

Cassie pulled her car along the sidewalk, turning off the engine. As the headlights disappeared, she was left with only the pattering of the raindrops on top of her roof. The twilight had faded right as she left, and the night was now a swirling gray, the black sky obscured by the thick layer of clouds.

Slamming the door shut, Cassie grabbed her purse and started toward the front door of the house her grandmother had lived in, her mother grew up in, and she now occupied by herself. She scurried through the rain, which had intensified since she left work. Fumbling with her keys, she unlocked the door and slammed it behind her.

The house seemed darker and eerily silent now that no one else was ever there. She lingered a moment, feeling the raindrops slither down stray strands of hair, and the cotton of her Java Brew shirt clinging to her lower back. She glanced at the silhouettes of the lamps in the living room. Turning her back to them as she started up the stairs, the first floor of the house lit up in a bright yellow glow. Cassie ran her fingers through her hair, making it dry and soft.

In her bedroom, Cassie sighed, sitting on the end of her bed. Being able to do anything she wanted had become so second-nature after being her own company all summer. The first few weeks after Diana left, she tried to stop herself from using magic, but it was like trying to convince herself to abandon the use of her right arm. The magic was a part of her. It came as naturally to her as blinking or breathing—her body, her instincts, knew what to do without any consideration of her conscious mind.

Cassie held up the palm of her hand, igniting the logs in the fireplace. The blaze cast tongues of bright orange flames up the chimney, warming the room immediately. She sighed again, unsure what was making her feel so exhausted and restless at the same time. Her mind felt like it was moving too fast for her to catch up with what it was thinking about, and at the same time, wasn't moving at all.

She moved over to her dresser, pulling out shorts and a tank top to wear to bed. She changed, enjoying the feeling of the dry clothes against her fire-warmed skin. She paced into her bathroom, throwing her work clothing into the hamper. She sighed yet again, and looked at her reflection. Her blond hair was flat and frizzy from the rain, and her cheeks were slightly pink from the fire. She reached up and ruffled the hair on the back of her head. As she drew her hand down, the palm of her hand caught her attention in the mirror. She gasped, pulling it close to her face. Emblazoned across it was the Balcoin symbol. Her eyebrows raised as the pink deepened and grew more distinct. She knew why she felt this way tonight.

Diana was back.

* * *

The wheels of Grant's car cut through the puddles on the pavement, sending a misty wall of water onto the sidewalk. He slowed, pulling up alongside the Meade house. He turned the key and the engine's hum softened, the radio turned off. The metallic echoes of rain hitting the roof bounced between their silence.

"Do…you want me to come in with you?" Grant asked, turning toward Diana. Her dark eyes were glued on the windshield, watching the rain trickle down the glass.

"No," she eventually sighed, turning toward Grant. "I have to do this by myself. Besides…I don't think I'm ready for you to meet my grandmother yet." She turned back to the windshield, hoping Grant wouldn't press her to elaborate.

"Alright, well. If you need me, call me. I'm serious. Even if it's the middle of the night." Grant mustered the half-smile that had once melted Diana's heart, but right now she felt as cold as the rain outside.

"Thanks," she muttered, undoing her seat belt. She stepped out of the car, shivering slightly as she felt the wind and rain against her cheeks. She opened the back door, pulling out her duffle bag. She looked at Grant in the driver's seat. "Really, thank you," she said again. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Have a good first day of school," Grant said with a wink.

"Yeah," Diana mumbled, slamming the door shut. "Don't think that one's gonna happen."

Grant tilted his head forward slightly and raised his eyebrows, waiting for the approval from Diana to leave. She gave him a half-smile and waved. He started the car again, and began down the wet, dark street.

Diana took a deep breath, turning and facing her walkway. This would be the first time she came home knowing her father wasn't there, or wouldn't be back soon. Even when she got home late at night, her dad would stay up, re-reading the paper from that morning or drinking coffee. It never kept him up at night the way it did for Diana. His job as a lawyer allowed him to work often from his home office, which meant that most days he was able to return before Diana got home from school or extracurriculars. On a rainy night like tonight, he would probably have some macaroni and cheese waiting for her, her favorite comfort food. Despite it making her feel embarrassingly juvenile, she still preferred Kraft to anything else, and he always stashed a spare box in the back of the pantry for nights she was upset. He had always worked as hard as he could to make sure that even though she didn't grow up with two parents, Diana knew that the one she had was there for her 100%. She felt tears well up along the rim of her eyelids as she wondered how that person could have watched Cassie's mother burn.

Feeling the tips of her fingers going numb with cold, Diana forced her feet to move forward, focusing on the clicking of her heel against the concrete. As she moved up the porch steps, she reached for the doorknob, but the door swung open before she could grasp it. In the doorway was her Grandma Kate, almost unrecognizable. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her face was lined with wrinkles Diana knew had not been there before.

"Diana!" Kate exclaimed, reaching her arms out to shepherd her granddaughter through the door. "Welcome home, darling!"

"Thanks, Grandma." Despite the gesture of warmth, Diana made no effort to return the welcome. She walked through the door, dropping her bag next to it and hanging up her beige wool scarf on the coat rack.

"I have chamomile tea brewing for you in the kitchen. Your favorite, if I remember correctly." Kate smiled again, brushing some of Diana's wet hair out of her face. The smile emphasized the wrinkles around her lips and eyes, and made her bottom lip quiver slightly. "Why don't you go upstairs and put some pajamas on, and we'll have a cup together before bed?"

"I don't think so." Diana hung up her black trench coat, then picked up her duffle bag and began up the stairs. She was careful to avoid eye contact with her grandmother. "Thanks for the tea, but I'm pretty exhausted. I just want to—"

"Well, I can bring it up to you if you'd like to get into something dry. I have some of your pajamas in the dryer right now to make them warm for you."

"I don't want the tea." Diana hadn't intended to make the statement so blunt, and felt her jaw clench when she heard how harsh the words sounded. Her instinct was to apologize, but a bitter taste in her mouth kept her from saying anything more.

"All right," Kate said softly, carefully. "Well, is there anything I can get for you? Are you hungry?"

Diana grasped for something to say that would both spare her grandmother another blunt brush off but would still provide her with an escape route. Nothing came to mind, however, and she hesitantly put one foot in front of the other, moving extremely slowly up the stairs, her mind racing for something to say.

"I could draw a bath for you," Kate offered. "I have some delightful lavender bath salts from that little shop downtown."

Biting her bottom lip, Diana stood still, her right foot hovering an inch above the step. What should she say?

Her voice creaked out from her throat, raspy and desperate, making her sound almost frightening. "I just want to go—"

"Diana." This time Kate's voice was firm, and there was no trace of a smile on her face, but instead, the frown that must have etched in the lines around her mouth during the past three months. "I know you don't trust me anymore. You can just say you don't want to talk to me right now."

There was a moment of tense silence between them as they looked into each other's eyes. Diana's heart fluttered. She knew what her grandma had said was true, but at part of her felt she could hide it from her. But why? To spare her feelings? Diana didn't think she would have cared at this point.

"Grandma, I—"

"I don't blame you. I'm sorry for what happened with Amelia's daughter. If I would have known what would happen, I wouldn't have done it. I've spent the past three months hating myself for activating her dark magic. I blame myself for everything that happened. When I did what I did, though, I thought I was protecting you. That's all I ever wanted to do. That's all _your father _ever wanted to do."

"I can't have this conversation right now." Diana took a few more steps up the staircase. She could feel a muscle at the base of her throat twitching.

"Just know that I love you. And I'm here for you when you're ready to talk about what happened."

"Thanks, Grandma." She wasn't sure what to say, and she felt like what she had just said was overwhelmingly stupid. She didn't want to be mean to Kate, but she did want to be angry at her. Was it going to be this mentally exhausting living with her, just trying to figure out how to talk to her? Diana started to walk up the stairs, staring down at her feet.

"Diana!"

She paused, looking out of her peripheral down at Kate.

"Are you still practicing?"

There was a moment of surprised silence from Diana. She could feel her eyebrows pressing up toward her forehead.

"No!" Diana said loudly, turning around. There was a look of surprise on her grandmother's face as well. "No," she breathed out again. "I don't want anything to do with magic. Ever again."

"All right," Kate said softly. Her eyes locked with Diana's, and there was a tension they held between them.

Diana turned around, fleeing up the stairs, aching for the freedom and solitude waiting for her in her bedroom. She rushed to her room, closing the door behind her and leaning against it, her shoulders slouching. She took a deep breath, reaching up to push her hair out of her face. Her stomach dropped, and she felt beads of perspiration break out along her hairline. Her knees trembled as she looked at the palm of her hand.

The Balcoin symbol.

* * *

Cassie looked out the front of her car, watching as the flood of students poured into the front doors. Friends met up after being away all summer, or sulked by the trees lining the school if they had spent all summer together and now felt torn apart by the return of the school year. The leaves on the trees were lined with orange, yellow, and red, signaling the turning of the season. Soon, every day would be raining and windy like last night. For now, patches of sunshine melted through the clouds, illuminating the gold-lined leaves.

Hoards of unfamiliar faces passed by, and Cassie was growing impatient. There was only one person she was waiting to see: Diana. She knew that if she could talk to her, warn her about the threat of their half-siblings arriving, then she could make her see reason and agree to re-bind the Circle to make them safe again. And if Diana would agree, it wouldn't be hard to convince the rest of the Circle.

Cassie jumped in her seat as someone knocked on the window. She had been so deep in thought she had made the car a private bubble, unreachable. Turning, she let out a long breath as she came back to herself. Her heart fluttered as she recognized who was smiling on the other side. Adam.

Mustering a smile back, Cassie opened the door and grabbed her backpack, sliding out. "Hey," she said, forcing her voice to sound bright and cheery. "How are you? Long time no see!" She wondered if she should hug him or not.

"Hey, stranger." Adam grinned, and a lump crept into Cassie's throat. She looked away. They started walking toward the front doors of the school together, Cassie staring at the leaves her shoes were pushing out of the way.

"So, what's your first class?" Adam asked, pulling a folded-up schedule out of the pocket of his jeans. "_I_ will be enjoying Government with Mr. Flint."

"I think that's mine, too," Cassie said, digging through her purse. She unfolded the paper and nodded. "Yep, same class." Her heart fought the conflicting feelings of agony and elation.

"I wonder if there's only one section for the Seniors," Adam said, putting his hands back in his pockets and looking at Cassie. When she only pressed her lips together and nodded, he looked at his feet.

"So…that means we should _all_ have the class together…Right?" Cassie didn't elaborate. She knew Adam knew what she meant.

"Yeah, I guess so." The two entered the school, and began wandering down the hallway, dodging frantic freshmen unfamiliar with the school's layout, or lingering upperclassmen who were delaying entering their classrooms for as long as possible.

Adam and Cassie entered the classroom, taking seats along the back wall. Cassie could still feel the lump in her throat. It was the same one that had been there since last spring, the same one that throughout the summer made her feel like she would choke. Her feelings for Adam were just as strong as they had always been. She didn't know how to be just friends with him, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. But if they would be bound together in the Circle again, like they needed to be, she wouldn't be able to avoid him any longer, and she would have to learn how to live with that uncomfortable feeling.

"So…how was your summer? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages." Adam let out a breathy laugh, tapping his pencil rapidly against his desk. His eyes flittered between Cassie, the whiteboard, back to Cassie, and his desk.

"Oh, um…fine," Cassie said, ripping her eyes from the window and forcing herself to look at Adam. Every time she made eye contact with him, she desperately wanted to see if she could find any hint of what they had that spring. But she never could—not because she didn't see anything there. She couldn't bear to do it because she already knew what she would find. And she was simply too afraid to look that absence in the eye.

"Just worked a lot. Java Brew never really slows down. Washington loves its coffee even more than L.A." She tried to laugh, but the lump blocked it, and she made a strange wheezing sound instead. Adam laughed lightly, probably at the sound she had just made, so Cassie tried again, only to wheeze again, this time a little dryer than before. She could hear how stupid she sounded, but realized that Adam probably didn't care what she answered with, and was just trying to make conversation.

"I know what you mean. Summer is always busy for us at work. The only time of year we get any tourists." Adam lightly laughed again, tapping his pencil faster on his desk. He looked away from Cassie and stared down at his desk.

"Oh, look, it's the pep squad!"

Cassie and Adam both looked up to find Faye facing them, one eyebrow raised and leaning over the back of her seat.

"You two look miserable," she finished.

"Hello, Faye!" Adam said in an overly-excited voice. "It's so magnificent to see you on this morning." He gave her a cheesy smile, to which she smiled back.

"There you go," Faye smirked, pulling her leather jacket tighter around her body. "It could be worse, you know. You could be the principal's daughter."

"Please." Adam and Cassie looked up as Melissa slid into the desk next to Faye. "Your mother has been absentee parenting all summer. She's let you do whatever you want."

"Which is exactly why I'm feeling optimistic about this year for the first time ever!" She flashed one of her trademark smirks at Melissa, who couldn't help but laugh.

Cassie noticed that the summer had done wonders for Melissa. Her eyes were brighter than they ever had been before. She was wearing a charcoal-colored gauze tank top that flowed down to her hips, making her look light and airy when she moved. Her hair was pulled back with a few loose curls whimsically wrapping around her neck. Being single looked great on Melissa.

"Hey…" Cassie said suddenly, the three others glancing at her. "Have any of you seen Diana?"

"No, not yet," Melissa said. "But Faye and I just got here. There's still a few minutes before class starts. She could just be running late."

"Diana?" Faye's voice was raised in a questioning tone. "Late?"

"Mmm…" Cassie hummed under her breath, turning back toward the window. She wondered if Diana had even come back to Chance Harbor at all. Maybe Kate was wrong, maybe she was serious about getting out of town. Maybe Kate couldn't convince her to return. But the Balcoin symbol…Cassie squeezed her hand into a fist thinking about it, feeling her fingernails dig into her palm. That had to mean something…right?

"Cassie!"

She snapped her head around, facing Faye.

"I said, Diana just got here."

Cassie turned and looked toward the front of the room. Diana stood, scanning the mostly-full classroom for an empty desk. Cassie straightened up in her chair, smiling, and gesturing toward the desk next to her.

Diana didn't seem to notice. She clutched her purse close to her body, gripping the strap tightly. She hurried across the room and slid into an empty desk in the front corner of the classroom.

Blinking a few times, Cassie stared at the back of Diana's head, confused. Why had she ignored them? She couldn't have just missed all four of them…

The bell buzzed loudly, and Mr. Flint stood up from his desk and moved to the front of the classroom.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to your Senior year at Chance Harbor High School."

* * *

"Diana, wait!" Cassie pushed past the crowd of her classmates filing out of the door. She looked to either side, the halls dense with students moving between classes. She saw Diana's long, wavy brown hair, and hurried down the hallway after her.

"Diana!" Cassie rushed past lockers, rounding the corner to the staircase. Diana was already a few steps in, heading upstairs. "Diana!"

She turned around and looked at Cassie. Her jaw tightened, and a visible tension locked into her gaze.

Cassie sighed. "You really made me chase after you," she said jokingly, pushing some stray hair out of her face. Diana's expression didn't change. Cassie noticed the dark circles under her eyes, hidden with some concealer, but still casting a shadow across her cheeks. Diana stood stiffly, clutching her purse against her body again, and tugging on the hem of her navy blue blazer.

"What?" She finally asked, eyes still stuck on Cassie.

"Hi…" Cassie's voice trailed off, a bit confused and slightly hurt. "I just wanted to say hi. I haven't seen you all summer."

"Yeah." Diana moved to the side, making more room for the stream of teenagers moving along the flight of stairs. "Well, hi. I have to get to my Physics class now, Cassie." Diana turned slightly, ready to move upstairs.

"Diana, please, wait." Cassie took another step up the stairs as well. "Can we talk?"

"I kind of need to get to class."

"Well, how about at lunch? After school?" Cassie felt her heart thumping in her chest. She had expected Diana to be a bit distant after everything that had happened, but she hadn't expected this…coldness.

"I don't know."

"Please, Diana. Talk to me at lunch. You at least owe me that."

Diana laughed bitterly, tilting her head back slightly. She locked eyes with Cassie firmly, the usually warm chestnut color stormy and steely. "No, Cassie. I don't owe you anything."

Cassie felt her jaw drop slightly. She was at a loss for how to reply.

Diana continued, "After everything that happened last year, I don't owe you anything. You stole my boyfriend, you brought me to a place I never wanted to go, and because you trusted your father, my father is in a nursing home right now." Both of the girls were stiff, staring at each other uncomfortably. Diana's gaze was hard and firm, but her jaw twitched slightly.

"Just a few minutes…" Cassie croaked.

"You don't get it, do you? I don't want to be here. I don't want to remember last year. I just want to focus on my classes, graduate, and go to college somewhere far, far away."

"I just want all of us to talk, we don't have to do anything. Diana, I understand—"

"No. No, you don't. You couldn't." She lowered her eyes, looking at where she had been rubbing her thumbnail against her blazer. "I'll meet with you after school," she said, looking up to face Cassie again. "But not because I owe it to you. Because we were friends." Her voice was soft, almost too soft to be heard over the slamming lockers and ceaseless chatter of the hallways.

Cassie felt frozen in her spot. _Were. _We _were_ friends. The single word hit her and left her feeling empty, her skin crawling with something she was too numb to identify. She opened her mouth to respond, but the emptiness crept up instead, and she stood there, mouth agape, just staring at Diana.

"Thank you," she managed to whisper. She watched as Diana took a hesitant step upstairs. "I want to be here for you. Even if we're…not friends anymore. We're still—"

"Cassie," Diana said abruptly, hurrying down the stairs until she was only one above Cassie. "Please don't tell anyone we're…we're sisters. I'm not ready for anyone to know that yet."

"But…" Cassie's voice trailed off, unsure what to say in response to that. She knew it would be overwhelming to tell all of Chance Harbor what they had discovered about their paternity in the spring. But even so, it didn't change the fact that they knew, the fact that they were sisters.

"Okay," Cassie said softly, lowering her head. Diana didn't respond, and after a few moments Cassie heard the clicking of her heels as Diana moved upstairs for her Physics class. The first bell rang, and the pace of shuffling students increased. Cassie still stood silently on the staircase, staring at her feet.

* * *

"So how did things go with Diana?" Adam asked. He adjusted the apple on his lunch tray. Cassie used to find it adorable how he would rearrange his food as if he were serving at The Boathouse. Right now, it just seemed unnecessary, almost pretentious. It was a school lunch tray, for crying out loud.

"I don't think she wanted to talk to me at all," Cassie said, staring absently at the scoop of mashed potatoes on her plate. Faye and Melissa had agreed to meet them in the cafeteria for lunch instead of going off-campus, but right now Cassie didn't feel she had any sort of appetite. "She just tried to hurry away. She was…_angry_."

"Well, she has every right to be," Adam said as he slid into a chair in the corner of the lunch room. "She went through a lot."

"Yeah, so did I," Cassie snapped. "In case you forgot, I lost the last family member I had." She realized after she said this how harsh she had been with Adam, and looked back down at her mashed potatoes. She felt sorry, but she was unwilling to apologize.

"I didn't mean it that way," Adam said carefully. "I just meant it's going to take some time for her to adjust back to being here. She got to leave those bad memories behind for the summer. That didn't mean they weren't going to be here waiting for her when she got back. I think she's just trying to figure out how to deal with that."

Cassie looked up at Adam, studying his face for a moment. His eyes looked softly back at hers. She had never considered it before, but the thought fell on her like a thousand pounds all of a sudden…what if Adam's feelings for Diana were back? Now that any trace of his attraction to Cassie was gone, she realized it might be normal for the feelings he'd had for Diana for so long to reemerge.

"Cassie?" His voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she shook her head slightly, realizing that she hadn't heard him.

"Sorry," she said. "Just a little hurt about it, I guess." She looked back down at the mashed potatoes. Staring at them for so long made them seem even more unappetizing.

"I know. I'm not saying it's okay for her to act that way. I'm just saying to give her some time."

"She told me not to tell anyone that we're sisters," Cassie blurted out awkwardly. The words seemed to stumble across her lips, and she felt like her mouth was too large and bumbling to form the sounds correctly. She stared at Adam, blinking.

"Yeah, well, I don't blame her."

Cassie's eyebrows raised, and Adam quickly tried to explain.

"Cassie, she lost her dad, in two ways, this past spring. That's more than any of us have ever had to deal with. Give her space. When she's ready, she'll be ready. It's not your place to decide when that will be, though."

Cassie looked back down at the mashed potatoes, stabbing them angrily with her spoon. In her head she imagined telling Adam that she had lost both her parents that way, finding out that her mother had been lying to her for sixteen years, and that her long-lost father had manipulated her and didn't actually care about her at all; then they both died. She remained silent, however, stabbing her mashed potatoes and returning to wondering if Adam was in love with Diana again.

"So."

Cassie looked up from the mutilated potatoes, seeing Faye and Melissa sit down in the empty chairs at their table.

"What was so important that it kept me away from my traditional first-day-of-school falafel?" Faye snapped, pushing her turkey sandwich away from her and crossing her arms. "It better be good, because _this_ isn't."

"I want us to meet after school and talk about everything that happened last spring…and what we should do because of it," Cassie said, setting down her spoon.

"Didn't we already have this discussion?" Melissa asked, tilting her head forward slightly. "Like, last spring?"

"I know, but I think we need to talk about what might be coming…for us." Cassie dropped her voice lower at the end of her sentence, looking at the eyes of everyone at the table.

"What do you mean, for us?" Adam asked.

Melissa leaned forward even more, whispering, "Witch hunters?"

"I mean the other Balcoin siblings are supposed to arrive, and I think they already may have." Cassie crossed her arms across her chest, making her hand into a fist.

"What are you talking about, Cassie?" Faye snapped. "What do you know that we don't?"

"Look, just meet with me at the Java Brew after school. I work at 3:30, so we won't have much time. But I think it's really important that we talk. Faye, can you tell Jake to meet us there?"

"Suuuure." Faye spoke as she let out a deep breath, then grabbed her purse and stood up. "Come on, Melissa. Let's go get that falafel."

As Faye and Melissa walked away, Adam turned toward Cassie, his eyes dark with concern.

"Is everything all right?" He asked. "Did something happen that you're not telling me about?"

Cassie kept her arms folded tightly. "We just need to talk," she said, turning to look at the tall, bright windows in the cafeteria, watching the sun stream through and the leaves and illuminate her pale skin with a green tint.

* * *

Cassie tapped the toes of her shoe against the low table, looking impatiently out the window. She had rushed from her last class of the day straight to the Java Brew. It had been ten minutes now, and no one had shown up yet. She turned around again and looked at the large, brass clock hanging on the wall, scowling as it confirmed another minute had passed by.

"A little early for work, aren't you?"

Cassie turned and saw her coworker Ben holding a few plates covered in crumbs and some empty coffee cups.

"You're picking up the 3:30 shift, right?" He smiled at her, flashing his trademark, uneven grin that everyone else had found so endearing since he started working there at the beginning of the summer.

"Oh," Cassie said, slightly annoyed with Ben's attempt at humor when she was so clearly upset. "Yeah, well, meeting up with some people before that." She hoped this would work as code for "_I'm waiting for my friends and I don't want to talk to you, so go away_", but Ben was apparently too happy-go-lucky to receive the message. His perpetual cheerfulness had been nothing but annoying to Cassie all summer, and she loathed the shifts they worked together and his effervescent attempts to get to know her. Evidently, however, his charm had been more attractive to the customers than her gloominess was, and she had been pushed back to the espresso machine and food prep while Ben had become king of the cash register.

"Oh, great! I don't think I met any of your friends this summer. It would be great to say hi to them." Ben's grin remained plastered on his face.

Cassie thought she could feel her nostrils flare, but Ben's grin didn't budge.

"Well, I should get these to the dishwasher," Ben said, readjusting his grip on the mugs. "Gotta impress the boss and keep the customers happy!" He laughed, heading back to the counter.

Scowling, Cassie turned back to the front door and then to the clock. It had been fifteen minutes since she arrived and still no one was there. She could practically feel herself fuming. Where the hell was everyone? Did they not understand the importance of having this discussion? Was she the only one who was concerned about the other Balcoin siblings coming to Chance Harbor?

"Cassie—"

Thinking Ben was back behind her, Cassie felt her shoulders jump in tension and her mouth curl up in annoyance. There was the sound of a mug shattering, and Cassie turned around. Instead of being behind her, Ben was at the dirty dishes tub over the trashcan, staring down at a shattered mug.

"I must have dropped it," she heard him mutter.

"Cassie."

She turned around again, and saw Jake standing in front of her. He looked from her to Ben and back again.

"Was that you?" he asked under his breath.

"No," Cassie replied too quickly. "He dropped a mug. It happens when you work in a coffee shop."

"All right," Jake said hesitantly, sitting down in the armchair across from her. "So what's up? Faye texted me to meet you all here after school got out. Where is everyone else?"

"Exactly what I would like to know," Cassie huffed, uncrossing her legs and re-crossing them the opposite way. She continued tapping her toes against the table, staring out the window.

"How have you been?"

Surprised, she turned back to look at Jake. He was leaning in toward her, his elbows resting on his thighs. His voice was softer than usual, almost a hint of concern in it.

"Fine, I guess," Cassie replied. "Just working a lot—"

"Not what have you been doing, but how have you been?" Jake said, searching her face for something. "We live next door to each other and I haven't seen you in months, other than getting in and out of your car. Whenever I try to say hi you practically sprint to the door."

"Well, like I said, I've been busy with work," Cassie said, her voice higher than she had intended it to be. "Things have been hard. I lost my grandmother…I live alone in that big house…But I'll be okay." She looked up at Jake, grateful she caught herself in time. All summer she had told Jane's friends that she was going to be okay, that she liked being in her family home, that Kate's visits and guardianship were keeping her grounded. If anyone knew she was lying, they were too polite to call her out on it. Cassie was uncomfortable with the look on Jake's face, though, and its suggestion that he might be about to call her out on it. She opened her mouth, thinking of what to say to keep him from digging deeper, when Faye plopped down on his lap and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, darlin'," she said, beaming. "Nice to see you here."

"What kept you so long?" Cassie snapped as Melissa took the armchair next to Jake's. All three of them looked at her, their expressions varying from slight surprise from Jake to exhausted annoyance from Faye.

"Chill; school only got out twenty minutes ago," Faye said slowly, lowering her eyebrows at Cassie.

"Where are Adam and Diana?" Cassie asked, making no attempt to make her voice any nicer than it had been before. She remembered at that moment how the two used to go everywhere as a pair, and her worries about Adam and Diana resurfaced. If anyone had answered her, she was too absorbed in her own thoughts to hear.

"So are we going to wait for them, or can you please tell us what has you so panicked?" Melissa asked, sinking backward in the overstuffed chair. The mauve velvet seemed to absorb her into it, making her look snug and comfy, but tiny compared to Faye balanced on Jake in the smaller armchair. It made the small distance between the chairs seem enormous.

"I want to wait until Adam and Diana get here," Cassie said, before being cut off by Ben's voice screeching in her ears.

"Welcome to the Java Brew," he said, smiling at the four of them. "My name is Ben. You must be Cassie's friends! It's so great to meet you."

Even Faye managed to smile back at Ben's round brown eyes and goofy grin. This annoyed Cassie, and she attempted to avoid rolling her eyes. Even though he was just a year younger than they were, for some reason Cassie felt his cheerfulness made him seem much younger. Or perhaps her angst had just aged her prematurely…

"Nice to meet you too, Ben," Jake said.

"Can I get you guys any coffee?"

"Sure!" Faye chirped. "I'll have a tall non-fat double latte, and he'll have a grande vanilla Americano with room." Faye beamed at Jake, giving him another peck on the cheek. Cassie felt almost revolted that their relationship had grown to the point of ordering each other's coffee.

"And I'll have a tall soy caramel macchiato," Melissa added, finishing the order awkwardly.

"You got it," Ben said, then turned to face Cassie. "Anything for you?"

"Shot in the dark," Cassie growled, arms still folded across her chest.

"Wow, that much homework already?" Ben asked, feigning awe. "You're going to be up all night with that order! I'm horrified at the thought of next year already!"

"I've been a bit of a night owl lately," Cassie said in a fake sticky-sweet voice, giving Ben a sour smile. He didn't seem to recognize her bitterness, though, and just kept on smiling at the group.

"I'll put it in as your complimentary coffee," Ben said. "I'll be right back with all your drinks!"

"Will someone else try texting Adam and Diana?" Cassie snapped. "They're not—"

"I'm right here," Adam said, sitting down on the couch next to Cassie.

"Where were you?" she demanded.

"I had to go to work to tell my dad I would be a little late this afternoon." Adam smiled at Jake, Faye, and Melissa.

"You couldn't have just texted him?" Cassie asked in a low voice. Adam turned back at her, his forehead slightly wrinkled as his brows lowered.

"Uh, no…I tried, but I didn't hear back. It's really busy right now; he didn't have a chance to grab the phone."

Cassie wanted to continue fighting with him, but could feel the glances of everyone on her, and stopped herself. She couldn't tell if she was really annoyed with Adam for being late, or if it was her worries creeping up about his feelings for Diana.

"Well, that just leaves—"

"Diana," Adam said, smiling. "Nice to see you. Have a seat." He looked at Cassie, signaling for her to scoot down the couch. Cassie looked at the empty space next to her, giving Adam a look she hoped he would understand as _Why can't she just sit here?_

"It's fine," Diana said, pulling up a wooden chair from the table nearest them and sitting at the head of the group. "So, what do you want to talk about?" she asked, turning toward Cassie.

"I'm really glad all of you came here," Cassie started, taking a deep breath and trying to control her voice. She was frustrated, but she knew she was overreacting. If she wanted to convince them to re-bind the Circle, she couldn't let those displaced feelings overwhelm her and dissuade them. "I appreciate it a lot—"

"Oo-kay!"

"_Ben!_" Cassie hissed. The tray Ben was carrying crashed to the floor, splashing hot milk and coffee on Diana's bare legs. She gasped, jumping up and snatching her purse away from the growing puddle on the floor. Adam grabbed some spare napkins that had been on the table, and handed them to Diana to dry her shins.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Ben said, frowning for the first time Cassie had ever seen. "I don't know what happened, I've never done that before, I—"

"It's okay," Adam reassured him, grabbing more napkins from behind them and drying off Diana's purse for her. "It happens to the best of us. Why don't you go grab a couple rags for the floor?"

"Yeah, of course, of course," Ben said, and started to turn around. He ended up spinning in a circle, though, and faced the group again. "And I will re-make your drinks right away, and they'll be on the house, of course—" He trailed off, heading back to the counter.

"This was my favorite purse," Diana moaned, looking at the dark spot on the bottom where some milk had already soaked in.

"You shouldn't have startled him like that," Faye scolded, waving her finger at Cassie. "You made him ruin Diana's favorite purse."

Jake gave Cassie an inquisitive look, the same one he had given her when he first arrived and Ben had dropped the mug. Cassie forced herself to look away.

"I'm sorry," she said to Diana. "I will buy you another one just like it."

"It's fine," Diana sighed, sitting down. Her shins were blotchy where the hot liquid had sprayed them. "Can we just get this show on the road?"

Cassie took a deep breath, trying to recompose herself. "I think we need to re-bind the Circle." She cut right to the chase, and tried to study the expressions of everyone around her.

"No." Diana's voice was flat and firm, her eyes locked on Cassie's. She reached for her purse. "Is that all?"

"Please," Cassie pleaded. "The other Balcoin siblings are on their way…I…I think they might already be here."

"What makes you think that?" Jake asked, eyebrow raised.

"My father said that they would be coming soon. And things have been…different, lately. I can just feel it. The same way I felt my father before he arrived in Chance Harbor."

"You felt your father's presence because you were tampering with dark magic at the Abandoned House," Faye said hesitantly, looking at Cassie suspiciously.

"It's different than that," Cassie said. "It's a different feeling, but I know what it means. I think I can feel them here." Her voice was quieter, the expression on her face grave. "I think the best way we can protect ourselves from them is to re-bind the Circle."

"I'm with Diana on this one," Adam said. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"Yeah, I don't either," Melissa said. "Last year ended in disaster after disaster. I don't want that to happen again."

There was a heavy silence among them, filled uncomfortably by the chatter of the coffee house and the whistling and gurgling of the espresso machine.

"I don't want _any_ of that to happen again, either," Cassie finally replied, slowly and deliberately. "Which is why I think we need to re-bind the Circle. Without our power linked together, we might not be strong enough to fight them. If there's one thing last year showed us, it's that dark magic is a lot more powerful and complex than any of us could have imagined."

"Why is why we need our individual magic," Faye said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Without it, we're not protected unless we're together. And there's no guarantee we'll be with someone else, let alone the whole group, if something does happen."

"We can be. We can be careful to be. That's the only shot we have—"

"You're being selfish!" Faye snapped. "You've never had to go without individual magic. Whether we bind the Circle or not, you'll have your dark magic. You're asking us to become vulnerable, to disarm ourselves. You've never had to experience what it's like to feel that helpless. You're being _selfish_, Cassie."

"I agree with Faye," Diana said lightly, crossing her arms.

"She might have a point though," Jake said. "If we're up against four witches with dark power, we could be in for a lot of trouble, especially if they believe in John Blackwell's vision of wiping out all witches without Balcoin blood." Faye looked down at Jake with arched eyebrows and a tilted head. "I just mean," Jake sighed, "that the Circle might be our strongest defense. There's no way our individual magic can go up against the dark magic of one witch, let alone four. Bound, we at least outnumber them."

"How do we even know they're coming up against us?" Melissa asked. "I mean, even if they're here, how do we know they're going to attack us?"

"If my father got to them, sent them here, that's exactly what they're going to want," Cassie said. "To destroy you. To use me...and Diana."

"We don't know anything about what they want or don't want," Melissa replied quietly, looking at the floor.

"Even more reason to bind the Circle!" Cassie said exasperatedly.

"I don't want to do it," Adam said abruptly. "I don't want to give up my individual magic. I need it." The sudden desperation in his voice surprised Cassie, and she looked at him with an expression of slight shock. When she had imagined this meeting in her head, she had always cast Adam as one of her advocates, seeing the logic and necessity of binding the Circle, and using his good judgment to help persuade the rest of the group. Now, she was looking at him as an adversary.

"What we _need_ is to survive the threat of the Balcoins," Cassie stated, her voice low and dangerous. "What we need is to stay alive. That's not a guarantee when there's dark magic—"

"I don't want to be bound to your dark magic," Diana said firmly, looking Cassie dead in the eye. "I refuse to be."

"What if we don't want to be bound to _your_ dark magic," Faye said slowly, looking at Diana. There was a look of surprise from the group. "Last time we were bound, Cassie was the only one who had dark magic. Now that Diana's has been activated, too, we don't know how that will react with the rest of our magic. It could make us stronger…or, it could leave the four of us," she looked from Jake to Melissa, and then Adam, "weaker and even more vulnerable."

"The Circle makes us stronger," Cassie recited, repeating the same phrase that had been used on her countless times last fall.

"Yeah, I don't like the idea of giving up my magic to help strengthen the Dark Magic Duo here," Faye replied, looking between Diana and Cassie and flashing a wide smile. "No offense, girls."

"Well, it doesn't really matter, because I'm not going to do it," Diana said firmly, grabbing her purse and putting it on her lap. She winced a little as the bottom wetted her dark denim skirt, and she slung the purse over her shoulder, letting it rest on the side of the chair. "It's a bad idea," she said, looking Cassie directly in the eye. "And I'm not going to be involved in anything related to magic."

There was another silence in the group, broken by a flustered Ben returning with a tray full of coffee, gripping it with both hands, his knuckles white.

"All right," he said softly, carefully handing each cup to its owner. "Here we are…And can I get anything for you?" he asked, looking at Diana.

"No, thank you," she said. "I was just leaving." She stood up and turned around for the door, not even saying goodbye to the group.

Cassie leaped to her feet, running out the door behind her. "Diana!" she called.

Diana turned around, sighing. "Cassie," she said. "You don't get to decide what the rest of us—"

"Is it back?" Cassie asked gravely.

"Is what back?" Diana snapped, shaking her head. "What are you talking about?"

Cassie slowly lifted her hand toward Diana, lowering her voice. "You know what I mean."

Diana clutched her hand to her heart, glaring at Cassie. "No, I don't," she said firmly. She looked down at her fist, the telltale sign she did, in fact, know exactly what Cassie was talking about, and dropped it back to her side. "No," she said firmly again. "It's not."

"Mine is," Cassie said softly. "It was gone for most of the summer…but it came back the night you got back in town."

"Well, it must have been something you did, then, because I don't have anything to do with it." Diana turned around quickly, and hurried down the sidewalk, disappearing from Cassie's sight. Standing forlornly in front of the door, Cassie dejectedly lowered her head and sulked back into the Java Brew.

* * *

Adam took a deep breath, sinking into the chair in the basement. If he had thought the summer had been busy with the small groups of tourists Chance Harbor received, he had forgotten the rush of students at the beginning of a new school year. Once he'd gotten back from the Java Brew, his father had put him straight to work, and the crowd hadn't let up until just now. His dad had dismissed him from his shift, and Adam felt utterly and completely exhausted. His energy had been oscillating all summer, and the first day of school had left him decidedly low.

Enjoying the coolness of the dark room and the soft buzzing of the few electronics plugged in, Adam savored the solitude of this room. He had made it his escape this summer, his seclusion from the rest of the world. He had told his dad he would be studying, and fled downstairs as soon as he could. His math textbook was unopened on the table next to him. His worst subject, he knew he would have to start his homework soon, but he felt too tired and flat to think of tackling Pre-Calculus right now.

He looked over to the corner of the room, where a small sliver of light from the curtains crept through. Staring at the wooden box on the table, his exhaustion hit him full-force. The weariness had become all too familiar to him over the summer. It was almost like hunger. He knew what would cure him, what would bring him back to his regular self. He just had to sink his teeth into it…

Walking slowly across the room, Adam muttered a few words under his breath, and waved his hand over the top of the box. Underneath, the smooth, glittering Crystal Skull emerged. The opaque shape formed, appearing as if liquid was dripping down its shape, carving out the details and smooth, cool, electrifying surface. The small ray of sunlight magnified the beauty of the Skull, and it seemed to wave at him, welcoming him home. He smiled, sitting down at the table and sliding his fingertips across the curve of the skull, closing his eyes and tilting his head back.

* * *

Closing the door behind her, Faye tossed her purse on the entry-way table. Kicking off her booties, she started to hop over to the staircase to go to her room.

"Where have you been?"

Faye stopped, turning around to see her mother walking from the kitchen, still holding a half-peeled zucchini.

"Out with Jake," Faye said, sprinting up a few more stairs.

"Faye, stop." The sternness in Dawn's voice caught Faye in her tracks, and she turned around, surprised at her mother.

"What?"

"You need to tell me when you're going out and when you'll be back." Dawn's voice was strict, her expression taut. "I'm the mom. You ask my permission before you go out with your friends."

"Chill, mom," Faye said slowly, crossing her arms. "What's with the hardass act all of a sudden? I liked Summer Mom much better."

"Were you with Jake all afternoon?" Dawn asked, ignoring Faye's retort. Her daughter nodded back, eyebrows raised, and Dawn added, "Only Jake?"

"Noooo," Faye said, taking a few steps closer to her mom. "Is _that_ what this is about? I met with Melissa and everybody at the Java Brew for most of the afternoon."

"Is Cassie part of 'everybody'?" Dawn asked, putting the hand that wasn't clutching the zucchini on her hip.

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't want you spending any time with Cassie Blake anymore," Dawn said, her voice slightly lower than usual.

Faye's eyebrow arched up her forehead. "Why not?" She asked inquisitively.

"That girl is nothing but trouble."

"Funny, that's usually what people say about me," Faye chirped back in a sing-songy voice.

"Faye, don't sass me. Cassie went to a dark place last year, and she risked all of your lives by taking you there with her…you haven't re-bound the Circle, have you?" Dawn's voice was sudden at the end, and she looked at Faye hard. "Well?"

"No, mom, we haven't. We're not going to," Faye said, growing impatient. "What's with the interrogation? Why are you freaking out all of a sudden?"

"I almost lost you last spring." Dawn's eyes were glassy, as if tears were beginning to form. "I've already lost your father. I am _not_ losing you, too."

"Nothing like last year is going to happen again, mom," Faye said, her voice softening. "You don't need to worry."

Dawn made a _hrmph_ sound under her breath, turning away from Faye and looking back toward the kitchen. "I don't worry enough," she muttered, leaving to finish dinner.

* * *

Melissa lay in her bed, staring at the glowing screen of her cell phone. She had texted Faye an hour ago, and nothing had come back yet.

Sighing, she rolled out of bed and began pacing the length of her room between her bed and dresser. She was so _bored_. Normally she and Faye had a sleepover on the first day of school, trying to hold onto summer break for as long as possible before homework took over their lives. This year, Faye hadn't seemed interested, and so far, she hadn't responded to Melissa's text asking if she wanted to come over for their annual Final-Freedom-Thon.

The phone began to vibrate, and Melissa excitedly looked at the screen. Her bright eyes, dimmed, however, when she saw it was just a text from her dad. _Need anything else from the store? Omw home_. Disappointed, Melissa texted a lonely "no", and plopped back down on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

She missed Nick so badly it ached at moments like this. When she was alone, when she couldn't get a hold of Faye, she remembered the smell of his hair, the lilt in his voice. She had finally begun to heal,to move on from last spring. Being able to escape into the summer had helped her do that. This feeling hadn't crept over her in a long time. But here it was again, all too familiar.

Groaning, Melissa ran out of her room and down the hallway, hoping to leave the feeling behind her. She looked out the window at the end of the hall, and up at the moon. The sun was setting, and the dim outline of the almost-full moon was hovering above the tree in their front yard. She groaned again, dropping her forehead toward the floor.

* * *

Cassie slammed the car door as she clicked the lock, hearing the car beep back at her that it was locked. She sighed, leaning against the cool, slick metal. Work had been crazy that night, even though she was working shorter shifts now that school was back in session. The entire building had felt too hot with too many people shoved into it. Groups of high schoolers had gathered under the guise of working through the first day of school's homework, but instead were sucked into the familiar lure of summer break. She had served far too many decaf lattes to thankless customers that night, and now welcomed the stillness of the cloudless, pitch-black night.

Startled, Cassie jumped as something rustled in the bushes. She squinted, trying to force her eyes to adjust to the dimness. She could see the bush swaying in a windless night, but couldn't quite make out what was in there. Taking a few cautious steps forward, Cassie tilted her head as she tried to get a better look inside the bush. She jumped back as something small and dark dove out, followed by a hissing black cat.

Cassie let out a deep breath, covering her heart with her hand and realizing how tense she had been. It must have just been a cat hunting a poor little mouse. She wondered why she had been so afraid…it was the Circle. She had believed she would be able to convince the others to re-bind it, and she had failed. And now, she felt angry, frustrated, and…exposed. On her own against something she didn't know how to fight by herself.

"Just a cat."

Cassie turned around as she heard Jake step up from behind her. He was wearing pajama pants and an old tee shirt, clearly about to go to bed. Cassie looked back at the bush, now silent and still.

"Yeah, I don't really know what I thought it was," she laughed.

"Something dark?"

"What?"

"You were afraid it was something dark," Jake offered gently. He stopped at the edge of the lawn, leaving Cassie standing on the sidewalk next to her car.

"Nooo…" Cassie's voice trailed off. "I guess I'm just a little wired from work." She tugged at her black Java Brew shirt, covered in some smears from the busy shift.

"Did you make that guy drop those coffees today?" Jake asked. Even in the dark, Cassie could tell that his eyes were stern and steady, telling her to tell him the truth.

"No," Cassie said awkwardly. "He dropped them on his own."

"It wasn't your dark magic?"

"Jake," Cassie said impatiently, passing him as she headed for the front door. "What are you doing? Faye probably wouldn't like it if you were over here."

"I don't think I need Faye's permission to do everything, do I?" Jake's voice drawn out, slightly annoyed, although Cassie suspected it was something to do with Faye, and not her.

Cassie hovered for a moment at the front door, then turned to face Jake. "I didn't do anything," she said. "Good night."

She slammed the door behind her, leaning against it and letting out a deep breath. She didn't know why it had always been so hard for her to lie to Jake. Maybe because she had trusted him so much, maybe because he had trusted her back…but neither of those things had worked out very well.

Cassie trudged upstairs, exhausted and upset. She had failed to convince her friends to bind their Circle. How had she failed? She had spent months reciting the conversation in her head, thinking up every opposition each person would throw at her, and in her imagination, she had always been more persuasive, better articulated, highly reasonable. But everyone had shut her down this afternoon, and afterward she had to try to cater to a bunch of teenagers who had no idea how lucky they were to be normal, yet complained about every trivial thing, ignoring Cassie when she served them their coffee. It was enough to—

Cassie jumped, startled, as flames erupted in her fireplace. The warm glow of the orange, roasting ribbons bathed the room in its reassuring warmth. Cassie looked down at where the logs should have been, seeing only bright blue roots instead, feeding the impossibly bright flames above.

Exhaling, Cassie felt slightly relaxed, and let herself sink down in front of the fire, tugging off her shoes, then her socks, and then her shirt. The fire felt soothing on her skin, reassuring. She told herself she needed to go to her dresser and get her pajamas before she fell asleep, but the warmth of the fire was a much-needed comfort, and she felt herself starting to drift into sleep, part of her mind believing that there was some peace to be found in this day, or at least in this moment.

* * *

Diana closed the door gently behind her, hoping not to wake up her grandmother. Grant had taken her out to dinner, which had turned into an after-dinner stroll on the boardwalk, which had turned into an after-dinner, after-stroll late-night movie. It was after midnight, and Diana knew she shouldn't have stayed out so late when she had to roll out of bed in less than six hours to get ready for school. But Grant had seemed to take away her anxiety of being back in Chance Harbor, seemed to soothe her frustration over Cassie and her insistence on having everyone do things her way, even though her track record for _that _was so great… Grant felt like her single life-line, her promise of a normal life once she finished high school and never had to come back to this town, let alone this state.

She knew she should have told her grandma she was going to be so late, but she also felt like making Kate worry a little bit. Why was it her responsibility to look out for her grandmother? After all, wasn't Kate the adult? Diana was tired of being the responsible one—that hadn't gotten her anywhere last year.

Sneaking through her bedroom door, the end of her bed caught Diana's eye. Moving closer, she saw a brand-new pair of white satin pajamas laid out at the end of the bed, along with a glass jar labeled as lavender bubble bath. She couldn't help but smile slightly, already feeling the wave of relief at the thought of the aromatic bathwater and soft fabric against her skin. She picked up the bubble bath, moving into her bathroom, and saw on the counter a mug of still-steaming chamomile tea. She looked down at it, seeing a small, hand-written note held down under the weight of the mug:

Hope you and Grant had a great time.

Xoxo,

Grandma

Diana sighed, picking up the mug and taking a sip. She walked over to the tub, putting in the plug and letting the hot water stream down. She knew her grandma was trying as hard as she could. She knew Kate must feel awful, must feel desperate to save Diana the way she couldn't save her son. Diana was the last family she had…and she wasn't even really family.

Diana put the mug down on the rim of the tub, pouring in the lavender-scented suds. Kate was kind to do all of this for her. This was her way of trying to comfort Diana, since she wouldn't let her do it in person. The thought flashed through Diana's mind, however, if this was Kate trying to apologize, or Kate trying to buy back her love. She picked the tea back up, holding it close to her lips and trying to re-focus on her evening with Grant.

* * *

Cassie bolted upright, feeling sweat drip down her face and neck. She was panting so hard her lungs felt like they were on fire, as if she had just sprinted for a mile. She tried to catch her breath, sitting up and clutching at her throat. She could feel her hair matted against her temples, drenched in sweat.

Sitting up, Cassie took several long, slow breaths. The smoke from the dying fire burned her nostrils, and Cassie looked up at the fireplace, feeling stupid and reckless that she had let it continue to burn as she fell asleep. Looking in, she gasped, retreating and tripping on her own steps until she stumbled and landed on the end of her bed.

The Balcoin symbol had been burnt into the fireplace, the dying embers glowing a malicious red, angry and threatening.

They had been here.


	2. Episode 2: Rebound

Episode 2.2:

Rebound

Cassie inhaled deeply, feeling the first wave of waking wash over her. Her body felt warm in the folds of the covers, and the world was hidden behind the ruby-amber glow of her eyelids as daylight streamed into her bedroom, still hazy from sleep. She kept her eyes closed, savoring the sweet absence that fills the first few moments of the day. Her worries, her fears, her anxieties still existed in yesterday, and, at least for a few more seconds, today was only the smooth cotton of her sheets.

The rest of the week after asking the Circle to re-bind had been hectic. In addition to her frustration over how their meeting at the Java Brew had gone, she held onto the frightened realization that the Balcoins were, in fact, in Chance Harbor. Her first instinct had been to tell Adam—but then what? She had already told them she could feel something inside of her telling her that her half-siblings were here; would the symbol in the fireplace even make a difference?

At first, a voice had screamed in her head _Yes! Yes, now you have proof! Something they can feel, too! They'll _have_ to bind the Circle then! _But that pleading was quickly replaced by a voice, quieter, but smoothly hypnotic…hearing it made Cassie feel as if she were swaying from side to side, mirroring the movements of a dangerous but seductive snake. _Don't tell them…keep this to yourself_. It drained away the first voice, until Cassie was left alone with it, feeling as if, for some reason, the languid voice was more logical than the instincts urging her to tell Adam about the fireplace. She suppressed the traces of anxiety left within her, and told no one about the Balcoin siblings visiting her.

Shaking that memory and stretching her arms over her head, Cassie groaned as she felt the tension in her shoulders resist movement. She had apparently been carrying all of her stress in her neck that week, and being able to sleep in on Saturday had been just what she thought she needed—although apparently her body disagreed. As she lowered her arms, she could practically feel her shoulders squeaking in their sockets. Work that afternoon was not going to be enjoyable…

Cassie sat up, looking around the hazy illumination of daylight in her bedroom. The whites in the room were dazzling in the final glory of the summer sun, and the house seemed almost peaceful in its quietness. Normally, it felt lonely, even eerie at times. She wondered if it was the lingering heavy warmth of slumber that was calming her.

Pushing the covers to the end of the bed, Cassie stood up and walked to the fireplace mantle where she kept her mother's Book of Shadows. Sliding her fingers gingerly across the top, she removed the end piece and gazed in at the Book. She imagined it still asleep, huddled in the cool cavern. She reached in for it, bringing it back to sit on the end of her bed. Today would be the day…if she couldn't convince the Circle to bind themselves with her own powers, then she would have to use magic to do it.

* * *

The ocean was a jade green color this close to the rocks, tinted with the brown from the mud that swirled back into the water each time the waves crept up between the cracks in the rocks. Soon, the sun would stop piercing the rays, and the butter yellow light that filled the cool mid-morning would give way to the gray skies of fall and the water would become sapphire and charcoal again. Diana contemplated this changing of the seasons, wondering if this would be the last autumn she'd ever see in Chance Harbor.

"Breakfast sitting all right with you?" Grant asked, squeezing Diana's hand and turning toward her. "You've been awfully quiet since we sat down."

"It's just…" Diana paused, contemplating how to explain what she was feeling. Grant had left his home a few years back, and had spent that time seeing the entire world. How could he understand her simultaneous passion to abandon her childhood home and apprehension to leave it all behind?

"I've grown up on this water," Diana said, lifting her feet from the rock they had been sitting on and pulling her knees toward her chest. "It feels like home to me. Even this summer, sailing down toward California…it wasn't _my _water." She pressed her lips together, wishing there was a better way to say it. Right now, she sounded like a possessive child, as if she could somehow own the waters that moved in and out of Chance Harbor.

"I think I understand what you mean," Grant said softly. "There's never been water like the kind I grew up with. We didn't live on the beach, but we lived close enough to visit often. I've been all over the world, and I've never found sand that moves between my toes the same way, or even waves that froth and bubble in quite the same way. It's hard to believe that it's all the same water, circulating across the globe."

Diana smiled at Grant, holding his hand in hers. "Exactly," she whispered, returning her gaze to the water.

"You're still planning on leaving as soon as you graduate?" Grant asked, his voice tinged with a note of graveness this time.

"Yes," Diana said firmly. "I'm leaving the next day for wherever I end up going to college, and I'll rent a place that summer before starting classes."

There was a silence between them, filled by the lapping of the waves as they reached the shore.

"You know," Grant finally said, his voice somewhat hesitant. "Leaving your home won't be as easy as you think it will."

"Grant," Diana sighed. "I know it's…complicated. But I can't stay here." Her grip on his hand loosened.

"I understand," Grant offered, his voice soft again. "I don't know if I could bare the place I lost my parents, either."

Diana exhaled slowly, forcing herself to nod.

That had been the reason she told Grant she had to leave Chance Harbor as soon as she finished high school. Over the summer, the evenings they spent lounging on the ship looking up at the stars, she told him that she couldn't stand to stay in the place where she lost both of her parents. Unless her father made a recovery, by some miracle, she felt she needed to get far away if she had any shot of starting the life she had worked so hard for.

She didn't, however, tell him about the disaster with John Blackwell, the dark magic Cassie had awoken in her, or about the Circle and its failure to protect the people they loved. Grant still had no idea about what she was. Diana felt that if they had any shot of a future together, especially the kind of future that Diana had spent the summer imagining, one free of witchcraft and magic, then she wanted Grant to remain believing that witchcraft was a thing of fairy tales, a Halloween costume, a scary movie, anything but real life…her life.

Diana pulled her eyes from the water and studied Grant's face. His eyes were light blue and playful, reflecting all of the light from the ocean. A perpetual grin was on his jaw, eager to spread into a smile. His blond hair had been bleached out by the summer sun, and was now a paler shade, playing up the tan he'd developed at sea. She thought he looked like he'd just walked out of a catalogue for Cape Cod inspired clothing. She grinned at that thought, turning back toward the rocks.

Grant had been attractive to her since she first laid eyes on him, but their relationship had been so different than with Adam. She had known Adam since she was a child, had known she loved him since she was in middle school. He was the only boy she had ever dated, had ever been interested in dating. She was just always so _sure _about him. And now, here was Grant—someone who promised to bring her on all the adventure in his life, away from all of the security and comfort that Adam brought to her.

And yet here she was, planning her life to include him in it. She felt her toes scrunch up in her shoes. Is that what she was doing, planning her life around some guy she had only known for a few months? Did she even love him? Could she?

Diana glanced back at Grant from the corner of her eyes. He was leaning back on his palms, whistling, and rolling his feet on his heel as he gazed at a fishing boat sailing back into harbor. She wondered if this was their relationship—or if she was waiting to get out of Chance Harbor before she could see what kind of relationship they could have when they were both normal, non-witchy people.

"Hey," Grant said, jerking Diana back to reality. She felt her head snap toward the water, and color and heat come to her cheeks, embarrassed she had been caught staring at him. She could feel her blush deepening when she realized she shouldn't have been embarrassed.

"There was a kite-flying competition over in the park," Grant said, seeming not to notice Diana's flustered state. "Want to go check it out?"

"I don't think I've gone to that since I was a kid," Diana laughed. "There used to be people who'd bring big dragon kites, or orca whales." She laughed, remembering how huge and impressive the kites had been. "Sure, though, that sounds like fun."

Shrugging off the contemplation of the details of their relationship, Diana pushed herself back up to standing and took Grant's hand, heading toward the park.

* * *

Faye inhaled deeply, stretching her arms over her head and rolling onto her side. Next to her, Jake was still asleep, tangled in the sheets and snoring softly. Faye grinned, laying on her stomach and watching Jake's chest slowly rise and fall with each breath.

The light filtering through the window made the room look amber-tinted, like they were in some golden aquarium, soft and dazzled by the early fall sun. Everything was silent and still in the room; not even the wind or bird songs from outside seemed to enter. It was all just so…peaceful.

It was a new feeling for Faye, and a new note of their relationship. Since last spring, their relationship had matured in a way neither of them had expected. After almost losing Faye to the witch hunters, Jake shook off much of his devil-may-care attitude, and instead seemed somber and introverted much of the time. He still seemed icily cool to most, but Faye had noticed a thoughtful, quiet side to Jake that she had never encountered before. In some ways, she wasn't sure she liked it. But they had reached equilibrium in their relationship, which hadn't existed before. It was a space where petty fights didn't seem to happen anymore. Jake no longer seemed to be fighting Faye for dominance of the relationship, and she gladly took over.

She wondered what she had missed while she was no longer vying for his attention. Now that she had all of it, it seemed almost trivial at times, something she expected. Watching him sleep, slowly breathing, snoring lightly, she wondered for the first time what he thought about when he would enter his stormy periods of introversion. He had mostly kept to himself before, but now he seemed to have some deep inner personal life that was disconnected from her, from their relationship.

"Faye?" Jake asked groggily, rubbing his eyes and pushing his torso up. He leaned against the headboard, running his fingers through his messy hair.

"Good morning, sunshine," Faye said, sitting on her knees to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Morning?"

"Well…not quite. Afternoon, but barely." Faye's green eyes rolled from Jake to the alarm clock and back to him.

"I want to start getting up earlier," Jake mumbled, reaching for the glass of water on his bedside table.

"Why?" Faye grumbled, examining her nails. "There's nothing to do in the mornings. Night is for the young." Her voice lilted playfully at the end, revealing the grin that had spread across her face.

"Mornings are for the productive," Jake replied, rolling out of bed and stretching his arms up toward the ceiling. Faye grinned.

"I can think of something we can do this afternoon." She held back a smile before leaping forward and grabbing Jake around the waist. He laughed breathily, falling back into bed.

"Well," he murmured, trailing kisses behind her ears. "Maybe just for a little while…"

* * *

Melissa rested her chin in her palms, sighing. Her elbows were rested on the smooth plastic table, and she had been halfheartedly sipping her soda for the past twenty minutes. She had refilled it once already, as well as rearranged the jellies that were still out from breakfast, and cleaned off the ketchup bottle with the napkins that had been left on the table.

Outside, the ocean sparkled with the wheat-colored light from the sun. Everything was bright and golden, with fluffy clouds drifting lazily on the horizon. Fishing boats bobbled on the water, and a few kids splashed in the shallow water, braving the last of the summer waters.

"Sure you don't want to order yet?"

Melissa snapped out of her daze, turning to face Adam. He stood at the end of the table with his arms crossed against his chest, a notepad in one hand.

"Still waiting for Faye," Melissa sighed, leaning back against the booth. "She's late, as usual."

"Are you sure she's coming?" Adam asked. "Punctuality and remembering commitments are two of Faye's biggest weaknesses, after all."

"I think so," Melissa grumbled, pulling her phone out of her purse for the twentieth time that afternoon. "I mean, she's not answering her phone, but she could just be in a hurry to finish getting ready. She is the one who wanted to meet here, after all."

0 new texts, 0 missed calls. Melissa scoffed and threw her phone back in her purse.

Adam gave her a sympathetic smile. "Well, how about I get you some fries while you wait for her? On the house."

"Thanks, Adam," Melissa said without much enthusiasm before pulling out her phone and dialing Faye again. No answer.

"Don't worry about it. I hope she gets here soon." Adam turned around and went to check on a table with a cute couple at it. Melissa glared at them from afar.

_I bet this is Jake's fault_, Melissa thought to herself as she crossed her arms and slouched further in the booth. _Stupid Jake. _

She sighed, looking back at the ocean.

* * *

Cassie's hands trembled as she dropped the last teaspoon of clove into the concoction. The brown powder swirled lazily in the oily soup, spiraling down toward the bottom and then hovering right above the base layer. A few tiny bubbles popped on the skin of the surface.

"There," Cassie whispered, nudging it forward on the kitchen counter. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and reached for her Book of Shadows. She ran her finger down the old parchment page.

"'To conclude the Persuasion Elixir'", Cassie read, underlining the scrolling letters with her purple nail, "'Soak with a quartz for one hour.'"

She took a deep breath, and reached for the cool, cloudy crystal she had gathered along with the rest of the ingredients. She ran her thumb over the smooth surface of one of the faces, looking at the patterns inside of it. Was she really about to go through with this? This spell had the potential to tamper with free will, a low-grade mind control. She second-guessed her decision to interfere with the Circle's final decision this way.

_What they don't know can't hurt them_, Cassie thought firmly as she dunked the crystal into the glass jar. She turned around, setting the oven timer for an hour.

"Besides," she said aloud to herself. "It's the right thing to do."

Hearing her voice fill the otherwise empty space of the house was somewhat startling. Grabbing a bag of chips from the cabinet, Cassie walked out to the living room and curled up on the couch, watching the sunlight trickle through leaves.

* * *

"Still no Faye?"

Melissa let her head fall further toward the table, letting out a deep sigh.

"No," she grumbled. She heard Adam slide into the booth across from her, and lifted her head up. "No texts, no calls, no emails, _nothing_. She has officially ditched me."

"Sorry," Adam said, shrugging. "She can kind of be like that sometimes."

"Not _sometimes_ anymore," Melissa snapped. "All the time, now that she has Jake. I don't exist to her anymore." Melissa slumped down, crossing her arms, her brow scrunched up. "I'm sick of everyone getting boyfriends."

"Well, we're both single," Adam said, grinning. He reached his hand out toward Melissa across the table. She ignored it.

"Yeah, so is Cassie." She shot him a quizzical look.

"Hrmm…" Adam made a low sound and retracted his hand, turning to look out the window. He studied the water for a few moments, then turned back to Melissa. "I meant, since Faye is apparently preoccupied, we could do something together." The corner of his mouth tugged up into a playful grin.

"Don't you have to work?" Melissa asked, arching one eyebrow and keeping her arms folded across her.

"I'm just cleaning up now. I'll be done in ten minutes." His mouth widened into a bigger grin, and he reached across the table again. "What do you say?" He asked, his voice lower than before, tilting his chin down slightly.

"Like a date?" Melissa asked, voice gravelly and slow.

"Yeah," Adam said breathily, smiling. "Something like that." His head remained slightly tilted, and he grinned at Melissa expectantly.

"I don't think so, Adam," Melissa said, lowering her arms and reaching for her purse.

The grin disappeared from Adam's face, and his eyebrows rose, an obvious look of surprise crossing his features.

"Why not?" He asked slowly, retracting his hand slightly and studying Melissa. "I thought—"

"You've dated half the girls in our Circle already," Melissa said quietly, placing her purse on her lap. "You'd probably move onto Faye next if she wasn't already taken."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Adam snapped back defensively, shoulders scrunching up.

"You've got a thing for power," Melissa said flatly. "You want it. That's why you wanted Diana, that's why you left her for Cassie—"

"She dumped me, I didn't leave her—"

"It doesn't matter," Melissa said in a matter-of-fact tone, shaking her head slightly. "Now that Diana's sworn off witchcraft for good, and Cassie is disappearing into that old house, and Faye is satisfied with spelling up free pizzas and mini firework shows, you're going after me. I'm not interested though." She stood up, slinging her purse over her shoulder.

"I just thought you might like to go out to lunch," Adam scoffed, shaking his head and crossing his arms, looking out the window. "Where did all this come from?"

"You've been building up to it for a while," Melissa said, taking a step backwards.

"Yeah…I've kind of been thinking about it for a while." He looked back to the ocean. "I have no idea where you're coming from calling me out on it being about _power_."

Melissa made a non-committing shrug. "Why else notice me now that Diana and Cassie are no longer options?"

"It's not like that," Adam said, his voice dark and angry. Surprised, Melissa's eyebrows rose and she took another step back.

"Look, Adam. I didn't mean anything by it. I still want to be friends, I just don't want to…"

"Get lunch with me?" Adam offered in a sarcastic tone.

"I'll see you later," Melissa spat back, turning swiftly on her heel and rushing for the door. She kept her eyes down, focusing on her black boots as she took step after step on the way to her car. What had just happened? Why did Adam freak out? Was it her fault?

"Oof!" Melissa stumbled backward, wobbling on her heels and feeling her body weight tilting backward. A strong hand grabbed her wrist, righting her and getting her back onto her feet.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized hurriedly, twisting her left shoe back into place. "I wasn't looking where I was going, aaand…" She looked up to find a tall, broad-shouldered young man smiling at her. His hair was pitch black, and he had sapphire blue eyes. He was wearing worn jeans and a charcoal gray tee shirt.

"Don't worry about it," he said, running a hand through his slightly wavy hair. "You're not hurt, are you? It looked like your ankle twisted there for a minute."

"No, I…" Melissa trailed off, looking down at her foot again. It didn't hurt, did it? She couldn't really tell right at the moment.

"I'm Troy," he said, offering her his hand to shake. She grasped it, shaking it.

"Melissa," she said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you."

"Do you come here often?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. Well…maybe not as much now…" Melissa mumbled out the end of her sentence, trailing off again. Why was she so flustered?

"I heard it's where most everyone goes after school." Troy flashed another brilliant smile.

"Do you go to Chance Harbor High School?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah, I do. Do you?"

"Yeah, I'm a Senior. Are you new?"

"Yeah," Troy said. "I'm a Junior though."

"Maybe that's why I haven't seen you around," Melissa said.

"Maybe. It's hard for me to meet people, too." Troy looked down, a surprising hint of bashfulness crossing his face.

"Seriously?" Melissa asked, disbelievingly.

"Yeah, you running into me is probably the first opportunity I've had to force myself to talk to someone." He laughed lightly, making Melissa laugh as well.

"Sorry again about that," she said, lifting her hand to the back of her head. "I should have been watching where I was going."

"Seriously, don't worry about it," Troy replied, shoving his hands in his pockets and shrugging. "It was really great to meet you." He smiled again, his dark blue eyes glowing.

"Yeah, hopefully I'll see you around school sometime," Melissa said, taking a step toward her car.

"I'd like that a lot," Troy replied, grinning. Melissa couldn't help but smile back as she waved good-bye and walked toward her car.

* * *

"Crap!" Cassie exclaimed as she fished around the Persuasion Elixir for the crystal. The oven timer was beeping shrilly at her, and she was somehow running five minutes late for leaving for work. The crystal had somehow become slimy in the potion, and resisted her efforts to grip it, shooting out from between her pinched fingertips.

"Aha!" She exclaimed, lifting it up swiftly and squinting as she stared at it. "Got you," she said, examining the discoloration. The quartz had become muddy colored in the potion; the cracks and swirls inside of it were no longer visible.

Turning around and silencing the timer, Cassie wiped her hands on a towel and reached for the cork to seal up the vile. She carefully folded it into a white linen cloth, placing it gently in her purse. Even though Kate Meade wasn't supposed to show up out of the blue, she also wasn't _not _allowed to come by whenever she wanted, and she was due for a visit soon. Cassie decided the potion was safest on her. She patted the folded towel gently before running out to her car.

"Rrrrrraaarrr!"

Cassie took a step back as a cat hissed at her, arching its back. It was the same black cat that had scared her last weekend when it was chasing a mouse in the bushes.

"Shoo!" Cassie hissed back, waving her hand. "Get out of here!"

The cat stared at her for a moment with its round yellow eyes, then slowly slinked off toward the same bushes it had run out of the first time she saw it.

"You better not be making a home there," Cassie muttered as she trotted to her car. She unlocked it and slid inside, placing her purse carefully on the passenger seat.

As she started to drive toward work, she looked nervously out of the corner of her eye at the bag. She had decided she would try to use it on Faye. After all, she had been Cassie's biggest opponent during the meeting about re-binding the Circle. If she had managed to persuade the rest of the group to go against Cassie the first time, maybe she would have the same power now, but be working for Cassie.

_I just have to figure out a way to make her take it,_ Cassie thought dishearteningly.

She had considered a few different options. She thought she might try to get Faye to come to the Java Brew and slip it into her drink somehow, but she decided against that, thinking that the strong odor of the potion would translate into a strong flavor as well, and there was too much of the liquid to make it undetectable in the coffee.

She had also considered lying to Faye, telling her the potion was for something else so that she would drink it on her own. But that didn't seem like it would work either. Faye was too suspicious by nature, and would make Cassie show her the recipe in her Book of Shadows and then re-make a new batch in front of her.

Finally, Cassie had decided she could bake it into food. It seemed like that was the best way to make the flavor blend out, as well as offering the most natural way to get Faye to consume something. Now she just had to get Faye to eat with her…If only she hadn't been running late, or she could have called Faye before she left.

Seeing a rare parking spot right in front of the Java Brew, Cassie dismissed her thoughts and pulled into the space. She gingerly grabbed her purse, carrying it instead of sliding it over her shoulder. Locking the door behind her, she stepped onto the sidewalk. Her face lit up as she saw who was leaving.

"Faye!" Cassie called. She saw the dark-haired girl stop walking, turning around to see her. Her mother, Dawn, was also with her, holding a to-go coffee cup.

"Hi, Cassie," Faye said slowly, a strange look of apprehension on her face. "Well, nice seeing you—"

"I was going to call you," Cassie said, moving closer to the mother and daughter. "I was wondering if you wanted to spend the night sometime. We could order pizza, watch movies, eat too much junk food." Cassie beamed.

Dawn's eyebrows arched on her face, and she turned to look at Faye expectantly.

"On a weekend, of course," Cassie rushed, smiling awkwardly. "I know you want her to focus more on her classes, Principal Chamberlain."

"Oh, really?" Dawn asked, looking again at Faye with the same expression. "When did Faye tell you that?"

"When we were hanging out last week," Cassie said nonchalantly. "She told us about how you thought it was really important so that she can apply for colleges." Faye bit her lip and stared at Cassie, as if avoiding her mother's gaze.

"Ah, yes, when you were hanging out last week," Dawn repeated, smiling at Cassie. "Of course. That would make sense, wouldn't it?" Her smile was somehow sour.

"Uh, yeah…" Cassie said uncertainly. She felt like something was happening that she didn't know about. Did she and Faye actually get in a fight about how well she was doing in her classes, or whether or not Faye was going to go to college next fall?

"Sorry, Cassie," Faye said rapidly, grabbing onto her mother's forearm. "I have plans with Melissa on Friday and with Jake on Saturday. I don't think next weekend is going to work out. Raincheck?" She tugged at her mother before Cassie could respond, leading her down the sidewalk. "I'll talk to you later!" she called over her shoulder as Dawn and Faye disappeared down the sidewalk.

"That was weird," Cassie muttered to herself as she pushed open the door to the Java Brew. She hurried behind the counter, placing her purse in the cubby against the far wall where coats were hung, and tied her apron around her waist.

* * *

Adam slammed the door behind him as he entered the basement. He stomped over to the far wall, kicking an oil-covered rag out of his way.

He was still fuming from his conversation with Melissa. Where did she come off telling him he was only interested in her because of her power, that he was just working his way through the female members of the Circle?

Adam slammed his fist onto the rough wooden table, glaring at the sliver of light that leaked in through the corner of the blinds.

She didn't know the first thing about him. She didn't know anything about his relationship with Diana, or with Cassie. Why did she think she could start diagnosing his relationship problems? Her, of all people, who lost Nick just before Diana turned her back on him, and then Cassie lost her feelings for him…

"Damn it!" Adam roared, swiping a wooden box from the table. Its contents exploded when they hit the floor, and then scattered in every direction. Adam took a deep, angry breath, turning toward the box that was nestled gently against the wall.

Slowly, he wrapped his fingers around it, pulling it carefully toward him. Taking a deep breath, this one calm, he undid the brass clasp and looked inside. Gently, he brushed aside the blue cloth he had covered the Skull with, and plunged his hands down the side of the box, grabbing onto the cold contours of the Skull. It immediately warmed to his touch, and Adam tilted his head back, eyes closed, focusing on the movement of energy from his fingertips up his arms.

* * *

"So, you're hanging out with Cassie Blake again?" Dawn snapped, closing the door a little too loudly behind her.

"Mom, come on, it's not like—" Faye began, before being interrupted by her mother.

"It's not like what, Faye?" Dawn aggressively undid the buttons on her beige trench coat. "It's not like you explicitly went against what I said? It's not like you blatantly disobeyed me?"

"It's not like she's any real trouble!" Faye snapped back. "We aren't going to bind the Circle, okay?"

"I don't care!" Dawn exclaimed, laughing sarcastically. "I don't care! You do what I say, do you understand?"

"I'm almost 18, _Mother_," Faye hissed back, her eyes stormy.

"That doesn't mean anything, Faye," Dawn said flatly. "I will still be your mother when you turn 18."

"Why the hell are you so paranoid all of a sudden?" Faye exclaimed, throwing her hands out to her side. "Why do you care if I'm around Cassie if we're not doing magic?"

"I don't want to lose—"

"Bullshit!" Faye snapped back. "I've heard you say that already! And it's not going to happen! So come up with something better or drop the whole—"

"Faye, go to your room."

"Excuse me?" Faye asked, disbelievingly. "Are you actually sending me to my room? What am I, ten?"

"When you act like you're ten, I'll treat you like you're ten," Dawn snapped back in a mocking voice. "Until then, I want you in your room. Dinner will be ready in an hour."

"This is not happening," Faye said in a flat, low voice. "I am not going to my room."

"Faye," Dawn said, closing her eyes and leaning against the front door, letting out a long breath. "I told you not to hang out with her. You did. How do I make myself clear?"

"I get it, all right?" Faye said, exasperated. "I won't hang out with her anymore."

"I'm not kidding, if I find out that you—"

"Mom." Faye's voice dropped lower. "I get it, all right?"

Dawn looked at her daughter hard, her mouth sterner than usual.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour," she said in a quiet voice, before turning out of the entryway and heading into the kitchen.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to make me dinner?" Grant asked, grinning at Diana. They had just pulled up in front of her house. Outside the windshield, they could see the sun starting to set in the west, casting a warm orange glow along the roofs of the houses at the end of the street.

"Yes," Diana said, smiling. "My grandma is supposed to go over to Cassie's for dinner tonight. So I will be making you my world-famous chicken parmesan recipe." Diana beamed as Grant's eyebrows crept up his forehead. "That-I-found-on-the-internet," she added quickly, breaking out into a giggle. Grant laughed with her, reaching for her hand.

"Well, my stomach is growling already," he said. "But are you sure I can't meet your grandmother yet? I tend to be a hit with old ladies. It's the accent."

"Maybe…soon," Diana said, looking away. "Let's go inside now though. It's a little chilly out here."

Diana opened her door, stepping out onto the sidewalk. She hurried up the front steps, calling over her shoulder to Grant, "I promise you'll love it!"

"Is it usually a big hit?"

"I don't know, I've never made it before!" Diana replied, laughing at herself as she pulled open the front door. She placed her purse on the side table, and turned the corner toward the kitchen.

"Grandma!" she exclaimed, stopping in her tracks. At the kitchen counter was Kate, stirring something in a large bowl.

"Hi, Diana. How was your day?" She looked up briefly from her cooking to smile warmly at her granddaughter.

"I thought you were supposed to go over to Cassie's tonight," Diana said, her voice tight.

"I was, but one of her coworkers called in sick and she had to work longer than she expected. I'll be going over tomorrow instead; she's not scheduled to work then."

"Okay, well then I have to go—"

"You must be Grandma Meade," Grant said brightly, walking up behind Diana. "It's wonderful to meet you. I'm Grant."

"Oh, Grant!" Kate said, wiping her hands on her apron and hurrying around the counter. "Oh, it's so good to meet you finally!" She gave him a quick hug, then took a step backward to survey the two of them together. "Aren't you two just so sweet?"

"Your granddaughter is lovely," Grant said. "And I see she got your beautiful brown eyes!"

Kate beamed at Grant, but Diana felt her shoulders tense at that. She could feel her molars grinding against each other, but didn't seem to be in control of her jaw anymore.

"Well, I would be absolutely delighted if you stayed for dinner tonight!" Kate said, moving back to the kitchen counter. "I'm making turkey pot pie. One of Diana's favorites." She smiled at the couple again, going back to stirring whatever was in the bowl.

"That's okay, Grandma, we—" Diana started, gripping Grant's wrist and trying to force him to move backward with her.

"I haven't had a homecooked meal like that in a long time," Grant said, seemingly oblivious to Diana's protests. "I would love to stay."

"My pleasure!" Kate said, reaching for a pot on the stove and pouring what looked like diced turkey breast into the bowl she was mixing up.

"Excuse me," Diana said coolly, releasing her grip on Grant. "I need to use the restroom."

She turned quickly on her heel before anyone could question her, but it didn't seem like they had any intention of it. Grant took a seat at the counter and was chatting with Kate. Both of them seemed unaware of Diana's unhappiness.

Huffing, she turned around and stomped upstairs to her bedroom before sliding down her door, burying her face in her hands.

* * *

Cassie flinched as she heard someone ring the bell on the counter. She had been digging through one of the lower shelves for more green tea, but had so far had no luck. With one of the veteran baristas out sick, everything had felt overwhelming to Cassie, and she growled as she heard the bell ring again.

"Just a second!" She yelled over her shoulder, pushing a box of spoons out of the way as she reached further into the cabinet. She could feel a box behind it, but it was just out of her reach…

_Ding!_

"All right!" Cassie snapped, hitting her head on the ledge as she stood back up. She mumbled to herself as she turned around to the cash register.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, eyebrows rising. "Adam!"

"Hey," he greeted her, tucking his hands into his coat pocket and grinning. "What a surprise, seeing you here. I thought you were supposed to get off work at 6."

"I was," Cassie said, her voice slightly more miserable than she had intended for it to be. "But Annika called in sick, so I'm stuck here 'til closing at 9 now."

"Oh," Adam said, some of the brightness peeling away from his voice. "I was thinking we could get dinner together or something."

"Sorry," Cassie said, smiling halfheartedly. She could feel her stomach clenching into a knot at the idea of them getting dinner, even though she knew it wouldn't be a date. It seemed to squeeze acid into her mouth, and she felt bitter and sick.

"Well, can I stick around until closing? Maybe we could rent a movie or something."

"What?" Cassie asked, the disbelief obvious in her voice. She realized she shouldn't have sounded so stunned. Of course Adam just meant hanging out. _He doesn't feel that way about you anymore_, she reminded herself for the millionth time.

"Yeah, everybody's busy," Adam grumbled. "So, what do you say?"

"Sure," Cassie said, tapping her finger anxiously on one of the buttons on the cash register. "Sooo…do you want a drink?"

"Maybe just some water for now," Adam said. "But I'm kind of hungry. Do you guys have any more food, or is it just that one sandwich that's still in the case?"

"Actually," Cassie said brightly, an idea dawning on her. "I was just about to throw some muffins in the oven."

"Muffins?" Adam asked, surprised. "Don't you usually stop serving those pretty early?"

"Well, like you said," Cassie said hurriedly, "It's just the one sandwich in the case. And the muffins tend to bake quickly and be pretty hot sellers."

"All right. I'll take a muffin when they come out," Adam said, reaching for his wallet. "What do I owe you for it?"

Cassie rang him up, her heart pounding. She felt sick and exhilarated at the same time. Maybe she could get Adam to convince the Circle for her. After all, she had imagined him as one of her biggest allies originally. Maybe he could actually pull through this time.

Adam smiled and went to take a seat, and Cassie turned, hurrying to the wall where the cubbies were. She fiddled with some dishes in the deep industrial sink, hoping it wasn't obvious to anyone what she was doing. But there were so few people in here for a Saturday night, and everyone seemed preoccupied with their drinks and conversations. Slowly, Cassie reached for her purse, brushing away the linen wrapping and sliding the vial into the palm of her hand. She tucked it in the pocket of her apron, and then walked over to the fridge where the muffin batter was kept. She pulled the bucket in front out, popping off the lid. There was hardly any batter left for today…but it didn't matter. Quickly, she scooped the blueberry-dotted batter into the muffin trays, filling only half of the spots. Then, quickly and quietly, she tipped the vial until all of its contents disappeared into one of the globs of batter. Grabbing a knife and stirring it until the color was consistent, Cassie turned and popped the tray in the oven, setting the timer.

Turning around, Cassie faced the patrons sitting in the coffeeshop. No one was looking at her, even though she felt like her heart was pounding so hard it must be echoing through the building. She could feel sweat on her forehead, and her mouth was dry. Realizing no one had noticed her, she walked slowly back to the cabinet where she had been looking for the green tea, disappearing under the counter and out of view.

* * *

Melissa sat with her legs crossed, looking out at the water. There were food vendors all along the boardwalk, finishing up the Kite Festival. Most of the people around her were families with small children, as well as the occasional couple on an awkward date. Little kids ran around in hats made by someone selling balloon animals, and everything smelled like ketchup and mustard from how many hot dogs were being eaten. And yet, somehow, Melissa was still all alone on Saturday night.

She had never gotten a hold of Faye. She had given up trying two hours ago, and had turned her phone off, burying it deep in her purse, not wanting to see it again. She had wandered through the tail-end of the Kite Festival, and had ended up on this bench about a half hour earlier. But with nothing better to go do, she had settled on simply spacing out, staring at the ocean and brooding over what had happened with Faye, and what had happened with Adam.

Sighing, Melissa uncrossed her legs, ready to stand up, when she realized someone was standing behind the bench.

"Mind if I join you?"

Melissa turned around to see Troy, hesitantly waiting for an answer.

"Oh, I was just leaving." Melissa put her purse over her shoulder to emphasize the statement.

"Well, I have horrible timing then," Troy said. Melissa felt some color rise to her cheeks.

"I guess I can stay a little longer," she said, slowly sitting back down on the bench. Troy walked around the corner and sat on the far end, putting about a foot of distance between them.

"It really is beautiful out here," he said, watching as the golden sun dipped down toward the water, casting shades of pink and orange on the ripples.

"Where are you from?" Melissa asked.

"The east coast," Troy said, turning back to face Melissa. "How about you?"

"Born and raised in Chance Harbor," Melissa said in a flat voice, crossing her legs once more.

"I don't think that's so bad," Troy said. "Like I said, it's beautiful out here."

"Why did you move?" Melissa asked, then realized that was a stupid question. _Duh_, she thought. _Because your parents did. _

"My mom passed away," Troy said softly, eyelashes lowering as he looked at his hands, wringing them.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Melissa said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

"You couldn't have known," Troy said, giving her a sympathetic smile. "Anyways, my parents got divorced when I was still a baby, and my dad does a lot of work overseas for his investment firm. I didn't really want to live in six different countries a year, so I came to live with my mom's sister and her husband. My uncle is a fisherman here, so I live with him and my Aunt Hanna. She works for the hospital."

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Melissa said softly, still feeling awkward. "You seem really nice."

"So do you," Troy said, smiling. "I haven't really met anyone else yet. A lot of people seem…unapproachable."

Melissa nodded, thinking about the gloomy cloud that had been cast over her Chance Harbor in her mind since last spring, and couldn't help but agree.

"Sorry…did you have to go meet someone?" Troy asked. "I know you said you were just about to leave."

"I changed my mind," Melissa said abruptly. "Are you busy tonight?"

Troy shook his head. "Don't know anybody." He laughed slightly at himself.

"Do you want to get a slice of pizza? I'm starving."

"Sure," Troy said, smiling. "I'm pretty hungry myself."

"I'll drive," Melissa said, excitedly jumping to her feet.

* * *

"Order up," Cassie said, smiling as she handed Adam a plate with a muffin on it.

"Hey, thanks," he said, taking the plate. "Smells delicious."

Cassie forced herself to keep smiling as Adam started to peel back the paper liner. She could feel herself shaking slightly, and her hands felt hot and cold at the same time.

"I hope you like it," she said, waiting expectantly for him to take the first bite. He nodded as he picked one of the blueberries off the top, popping it in his mouth. Cassie remained rooted in place, quivering and staring.

"There's someone at the counter," Adam said, pointing toward the cash register.

"Oh!" Cassie exclaimed, starting to run over. She stopped after two steps, turning back toward Adam and saying, "I'll be back over in a minute to see what you think!"

Cassie went over to the register, where a woman was waiting, tired-eyed and clearly exhausted from working a late night. Cassie prepared her order (mint tea to go) and then hurried back to where Adam was sitting, now halfway done with his muffin.

"Weeeell," Cassie said, sitting down on the edge of the armchair across from him. "How is it?"

"It's fine," Adam said, laughing as he wiped crumbs from the corner of his mouth. "Why? Is it a new recipe? Did you do something to it?"

Cassie's body went tight and she exclaimed, "No!" too quickly and loudly. She tried to laugh when Adam looked at her strangely. But he continued eating the muffin, so Cassie tried to force herself to relax. After the last bite had been swallowed, she took a deep breath.

"I've been thinking more about binding the Circle again," she said quietly but firmly. Adam's eyebrows rose slightly, but then relaxed back into their normal position.

"Really?" His face remained relaxed, and his voice didn't sound too surprised or grave. Cassie took it as a good sign to continue.

"Yes. And I think we really need to reconsider."

"Why?" Adam asked, his voice genuinely imploring Cassie, concerned and riveted on her every word.

"I think the Balcoins…" Cassie hesitated, considering telling Adam about the symbol singed into her fireplace last week. Instead, she said, "I think they're going to come after us soon."

"Why?" Adam repeated, a look of deep concern etching onto his face. "Did something happen to you, Cassie?" He reached out and took his hand in hers, looking at her pleadingly. Frightened, Cassie realized he was afraid. He was scared something had happened to her.

She felt like her hand in his could make her burst into tears. She swallowed them back, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I think I'm connected to them somehow," she said. "The same way I was connected to my father. I can feel that they're here, and I can feel that they're powerful."

"Then we have to do something," Adam said firmly, still holding onto Cassie's hand. She tried to wiggle it away, even though her heart wanted her to keep it there forever. She was about to lose control, though. It finally slid out of Adam's grip. He didn't seem to notice, however, and placed his palm on her forearm instead.

"They're stronger than we are," Cassie said. "Each one of them has dark magic. And if we're not bound, there's nothing we can do to fight back when they strike."

"You really think they're going to?" Adam asked, squeezing her forearm slightly. Cassie slid farther back in the armchair to try to escape his reach. Where was all of this touching coming from? They had avoided each other for months, rigid when they got anywhere close to touching, and now he couldn't get close enough. Cassie's skin tingled with the familiar sensation.

"I do," Cassie said firmly. "In fact, I know they are. My father said that's why they came here. And they're going to hurt you, Adam." Her voice was low and croaked at the end. "They're going to try to hurt the rest of you. They might even try to make me or Diana do it."

"We have to be ready," Adam said firmly. "We can't let that happen. I won't let that happen to you."

Cassie's eyes widened in disbelief. Since when was he protecting her, concerned about her?

"We have to re-bind the Circle," Adam said decidedly, standing up. "I'm going to go talk to Diana right now."

"Wait!" Cassie said, reaching for his hand, which Was resting softly at his side. She hesitantly took it in hers, her fingers sweaty and buzzing. Why did he have to mention Diana? This moment had been so sweet, had let her go so far away from her fears that he was in love with Diana again. It had let Cassie believe, even if just for a second, that he still loved her.

"What?" Adam asked, curling his fingertips around hers. Cassie sniffed back a tear, hoping it came off as a runny nose instead.

"It's the right thing to do," she choked out, realizing she was about to tell him "I love you."

Adam nodded firmly, then squeezed Cassie's hand and rushed toward the front door.

Cassie inhaled deeply, then darted back behind the counter. She slid into the closet as if she were looking for a mop, and leaned against the wall, wiping away hot tears.

It had worked. The elixir had worked, and Adam was going to make Diana re-bind the Circle. The Book of Shadows had said it would wear off in 6 hours. That should give him plenty of time to convince her. _Oh god_, Cassie thought. _Why am I crying then? It worked! _She continued wiping her tears on her sleeve, trying to push past the fact that she was in love with him and he would never feel that way again.

* * *

Faye lay on the end of her bed, snapping her index finger up and down. Each time it pointed toward the ceiling, a small crackle would pop, and a white light would flash, like a tiny firework.

"I'm bored," she said through her teeth, rolling onto her stomach. The phone that she had levitating next to her ear went with her.

"Why?" Jake asked teasingly. "Because you're grounded?"

"I'm not grounded!" Faye snapped back. "I just don't want my mom to be any more pissed off than she already is. She was practically steaming at dinner." Faye flexed her finger again, causing another _pop! _followed by a flash.

"I wonder what her problem with Cassie is," Jake said.

"It's because she's the wickedest witch of them all," Faye said in one breath, flicking a piece of lint off of her black leggings.

"I don't understand why your mom feels that way," Jake said, his voice genuinely wondering. "She's not her father. And she was the one who saved us when it really mattered."

"Oh, please," Faye retorted, rolling her eyes. "It's part of that innocent act she has down. So are you going to come break me out of here or what?"

"I thought you said you weren't grounded."

"Be here in ten minutes," Faye ordered before snapping her fingers. The phone hung up, and then landed with a soft thud on her bed.

* * *

Diana gingerly nibbled the bite of turkey at the end of her fork, looking between Grant and Kate. So far, it was horrible—they got along wonderfully. Kate wouldn't stop telling stories as if she and Diana were still chummy, and Grant was charming and witty.

"It sounds like Australia is absolutely _magnificent_!" Kate gushed, putting down her wine glass. "I don't know why you'd ever leave it!"

"Well, I had a whole world to see," Grant said. Diana wanted to roll her eyes.

_Really? _She thought. She couldn't believe how annoyed she had become with Grant during the past half hour. Everything he said seemed so sappy sweet, so perfect. She couldn't decide if he was actually obnoxious and she hadn't noticed yet, or if he was just kissing up to Grandma Kate.

"You did, didn't you?" Kate said, dabbing at the corners of her mouth with her napkin. "Diana, you've barely touched your dinner," she said. "Are you not feeling well?"

"Late lunch," she said back, pushing her plate forward and crossing her arms.

"Well, can I get you any more to eat, Adam?" Kate asked, standing up. Her body jerked with a sudden line of rigidness as she realized what she had just said. Diana's eyes widened slightly, and Grant awkwardly held his glass halfway to his mouth. "Grant?" Kate said quietly, forcing a crooked smile onto her face.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Meade." Grant replied in a strained voice before taking a sip. He looked down at his plate after that.

"Please," Kate said, rushing to the countertop where the pot pie was resting. "Call me Kate."

_Or Adam_, Diana thought bitterly, taking her napkin from her lap and putting it on the table.

"I better get going, Kate," Grant said, scooting out from his chair. "Thank you for the delicious meal."

"Oh, any time!" Kate exclaimed, coming around the counter again and leading Grant toward the door. "I hope you visit again soon."

"Maybe," Diana said tersely as she stood up, following Grant. She led him down the hallway to the entryway, where he slid his rain jacket back on.

"That was a lot of fun," he said, voice relaxed once more. "Your grandma is really nice."

"Hrmm," Diana mumbled as she pecked him on the cheek. "Well, good night," she said, opening the door. Her mouth opened slightly as she saw Adam on the other side, fist raised as if he were just about to knock.

"Oh, hi," he said, looking from Diana to Grant, then back to Diana. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"

"Not at all," Grant said, his voice cool. "I was just about to leave, actually." The usually playful grin had disappeared from his face. "Night, Di," he said sternly as he pecked her on the cheek before pushing past Adam to go to his car.

"Was that my fault?" Adam asked, looking over his shoulder as Grant slinked down the walkway.

"No, it was my grandma's," Diana sighed, crossing her arms. Adam looked confused, but then shook it off.

"I have to talk to you about something really important," he said urgently.

"Can it wait?" Diana sighed. Adam shook his head. "Is it witchy?" Diana asked. Adam didn't move. "I don't want to talk about it then," Diana said, grabbing the door to slam it closed. Adam placed his hand on top of hers, looking sternly into her eyes.

"It's important," he said again, voice low and pleading. Diana paused, staring at him, and then his hand over hers. "Can I come in?" Adam asked.

Diana looked at Grant's car. The engine was running, but he hadn't left yet.

"I don't know…" she said uncertainly, still hyperaware of their hands touching. Grant's car pulled out a little too quickly, and then zipped down the road. "Fine," she sighed.

She stepped aside, letting Adam move into the entryway. He wiped his feet on the welcome mat.

Kate turned the corner, stopping when she saw Adam in the doorway.

"Adam!" she said, surprised. "Why are you—I mean, how are you?"

"I'm fine," Adam said, his voice somewhat impatient. "And yourself?"

"Just…fine," she replied, looking questioningly at Diana. "I'll be in the living room if you need me," she said hesitantly before continuing through the entryway.

"Let's go to the dining room then," Diana said, leading Adam before taking a seat across the table from him.

The room was slightly dark, with only one of the lights on. The shadows cast dark lines over Adam's face, making him look mysterious. Diana realized how different his eyes were from Grant's. The dim light on his features reminded her of going to bed with him, the way the shadows seemed to rest on his face so softly.

"What?" Diana asked, shaking her head and forcing herself to refocus. _Where did _that _come from? _she thought to herself.

"I have to tell you something really important," Adam said, voice low. "It's about Cassie."

"Of course it is," Diana said grumpily, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "What is it?" She asked impatiently.

"I think she drugged me."

* * *

"Finally!" Faye moaned, ripping her seatbelt off and stepping out of Jake's car and into the dark, cool night. "Freedom at last!" She threw her arms in the air, and spun a small circle.

"The last six hours must have been tortuous for you," Jake said, giving her a fake sympathetic smile.

"You have _no _idea," Faye said, leaning against the car. "But what do we do now?" Her voice was pouty. "I'm so _bored _of the same old magic tricks I've been doing all summer."

Before he could respond, both Jake and Faye turned at the sound of Cassie's car pulling up behind them. The door slammed, and Cassie hurried toward the front door of her house, ignoring them. The moonlight illuminated her pale face, and streaks of tears lit up like lines of quicksilver.

Jake immediately ran after her, catching her wrist as she was about to enter the house. Faye's eyebrows arched as Cassie tried to push him off and Jake moved in front of the door. Cassie looked up at him. Even from the distance, Faye could see that her eyelashes were dark and thick with tears, framing her big, wet blue eyes.

"Wow," Faye scoffed, rolling her own eyes and starting to walk toward Jake's front door. She turned around, infuriated when she saw the two of them were still talking, the look of concern obvious on Jake's face even from the distance. Faye's lips pressed together angrily, and she stomped up the stairs to Jake's door, kicking her heel hard against it as she leaned, waiting.

Faye heard Cassie sob loudly, then push her way through the front door, slamming it behind her. Jake's chest rose and fell as he sighed, and his shoulders settled back into a slouched position. He slowly made his way over to Faye, looking up at her as if expecting a sympathetic glance.

"Are you still in love with her?" Faye asked shortly, looking hard at Jake.

"What?" he asked incredulously.

"Answer the question," Faye hissed impatiently.

"No," Jake said disbelievingly. "Why would you even need to ask me that?"

"Because you just ran over to Little Miss Gloom and Doom like you were her big knight in shining armor," Faye snapped, taking a step away from him.

"She was _crying_," Jake said, shaking his head slightly. "What has gotten into you, Faye?"

"What the hell has gotten into _you_?" Faye yelled, stomping down the front steps. She turned around and glared at Jake. "You better get over whatever is left between the two of you, or _this _isn't going to happen anymore." She started stomping down the street, ignoring Jake as he called out to her.

* * *

"You think she did _what_?" Diana asked, eyebrows all the way up her forehead.

"I think she spelled me," Adam said softly. "With some kind of mind control potion. Isn't there something similar to that in your Book of Shadows?"

"A Relaxant Potion," Diana murmured, not wanting to think about the hours and hours she had spent poring over that book. "It's not mind control, though, just…a way to get someone to be relaxed enough to tell you the truth."

"Well, I think Cassie's Book of Shadows has something a bit more powerful than that," Adam said, voice low. "I was with her at the Java Brew." Diana looked strangely unhappy with that statement. "She must have baked it into my food. After I ate it, she came over and started talking to me about binding the Circle again."

"She didn't!" Diana exclaimed, standing up suddenly. "How _dare _she!" She paused. Kate's footsteps had just been going upstairs, but had stopped suddenly with Diana's outburst.

"Diana, calm down," Adam pleaded, urging her to sit back down. Diana held her breath, and then heard Kate start treading the stairs again. She exhaled, taking her seat again.

"She violated your free will!" Diana hissed, trying to keep her voice down.

"I didn't last very long, though," Adam said calmly. "Halfway on the drive over here, my head felt clear again. I had honestly believed her, that binding the Circle was our only choice. And then by the time I got here, I was back to myself again, and started piecing together what had happened."

"What is wrong with her?" Diana muttered angrily. "Adam, this is serious. We don't know what she's capable of anymore. I mean, her own friend." The grave tone in Diana's voice sent a shudder across the room.

"I know," Adam said sadly. "I'm concerned about her. I don't know if it's being alone, or feeling like her friends have turned their backs on her—"

"_She's _the one who just drugged her friend!" Diana jeered back.

"She's still all alone." Adam's voice cracked slightly. "I think we need to do something. To try to take care of her."

"I don't think I'm ready to make up with her just yet," Diana said coolly. "Especially not after this."

"We at least need to be looking out for her." Adam said. Diana nodded tersely, looking away from him.

"I'll let you know if anything else happens," Adam said, standing up.

"Please," Diana said, this time her voice soft and genuine. "Please do."

Adam nodded, then turned toward the entryway. Diana followed him, crossing her arms as the cold air entered when he opened the door. He hesitated.

"Diana?" He asked quietly.

"Yes?"

Adam turned to look up at her, a strange, glassy look in his eyes. "Are you in love with Grant?" He asked.

"I—" Diana stopped, unsure of why. Her first instinct had been to say _I love him, yes_, but something stopped her. She realized that they had never said those words to each other. Her lips refused to utter them now. They were trapped somewhere in her stomach, boiling and refusing to work. "I don't know," she managed to say softly.

Neither of them spoke as the cold air continued to leak in through the front door.

"Why?" Diana finally whispered.

Adam looked up at her again, the same glassy look in his eyes.

"I don't know," he whispered, repeating the same words she had just spoken. The two stared into each other's eyes nervously.

"Are you in love with Cassie?" Diana spat out. Adam looked up, surprised. It was the thought that had been burning Diana since he began defending Cassie, and it somehow felt both worse and better to have spoken it out loud.

"You know the answer to that," he said, voice steady. "You know about the elixir we had to drink to save Jake's life."

"I know," Diana said, quietly.

She felt a strange tightness in her belly, then realized it was the nervous flutter of butterflies in her stomach. Her breathing increased as she looked at Adam, thinking of how handsome he still was to her, of everything they had shared together.

"Good night," she said suddenly, closing the door. What had gotten into her? She loved Gra—her thoughts stopped themselves again, and she couldn't even finish the thought to herself. _Because it's a lie_, she thought sullenly.

_No it's not! _She fought back internally, sprinting up the stairs.

* * *

Cassie sat on the couch, wrapped up in a braided wool blanket. She had made a cup of tea to try to help her go to bed, but it remained untouched on the coffee table. She had watched the steam dance up from it, and then eventually stop after it had cooled off.

It was just a matter of time, she kept telling herself. Tomorrow they would re-bind the Circle. Adam had gone over to convince Diana of the matter. She felt absent from her own plan, however, at the thought of not being there herself. It was better that way, though. Adam would be able to convince Diana. Still…she didn't like the idea of them alone together.

"You have no right to be jealous," she said out loud, pulling the blanket tighter.

She jumped, adrenaline coursing through her body as she heard rustling in the bushes outside the window. Frustrated, she stood up, pulling up the glass and yelling into the yard, "Get _out _of here, you stupid cat!"

The bushes rustled again, and then Cassie stood, petrified, as a dark, human silhouette appeared on the other side of the window.


	3. Episode 3: Homecoming

Episode 2.3:  
Homecoming

Cassie screamed, stumbling backwards. Her feet became tangled in the blanket, and she fell onto the floor, her right shoulder slamming against the coffee table on the way down. Groaning, she pushed herself up with her left hand, whipping her head around to look at the window. The silhouette was no longer peering in.

Panting and scooting backward until her back was against the bottom of the couch, Cassie gripped her elbow, wincing as the pressure moved upward toward her shoulder. A cold sweat broke across her forehead as her shoulder began throbbing. She wondered if it was dislocated.

There was a slam at the front door, and Cassie screamed again as she saw it blast open. Scrambling to get back on her feet, she tried to stand up using her right hand, and cried out again, this time in pain, as she collapsed onto her torso. She flailed against the wood floor and the slippery blanket, ungracefully squirming until she was standing again.

A dark human silhouette appeared in the entryway, darker than it should have been with only the shadows of night cast upon it. Somehow, the darkness seemed to be radiating from within the figure, rather than obscuring it. Its chest was heaving, and an arm rose to point toward Cassie.

Pain shot through Cassie's shoulder as if it had just been stabbed. The red-hot sensation spread down her arm, making her feel as if her veins were too small. Her fingers twitched spasmodically, and her bones felt like needles. She clutched herself with her good hand, whimpering. Her right hand was shaking, turning an ashy color beneath the fire-orange Balcoin symbol that was now burning on her palm, pulsing with her rising heartbeat.

The dark silhouette took a step forward. Glowering, Cassie lifted her right arm, crying out in pain, feeling ice-cold tears at the corners of her eyes. She pointed her palm at the figure. "Stop!" she screamed, and the silhouette was flung backwards, crashing into the staircase.

Cassie exhaled, shaking, and lowered her injured shoulder. She felt as if she was going to vomit. She was seeing double. She couldn't tell if she was swaying, or if the room was moving back and forth on its own.

The figure righted itself, this time pointing both of its extended palms in Cassie's direction. Before it could send another wave of pain at her, Cassie let out a primal, guttural scream. Fine, orange strands seemed to stretch out toward the intruder, quivering and crackling like electricity. They started wrapping around the figure, encasing it like a spider cocooning its prey. Cassie could feel the pulsing from the orange strands that connected them, seeming to bleed the figure's energy into her own, giving her shoulder the warm, soft feeling of healing. She breathed deeply, feeling her heartbeat increase but her shaking subside. She needed this. It was making her strong. She tried to slow her breathing and tilted her head back slightly.

There was a quiver in the orange energy connecting them, and the figure rolled to the side. The electricity fizzed, retreating back into Cassie's hand and feeling like a strong static shock. She instinctively drew her hands close to her chest, protectively.

The figure hesitated for a moment in the doorway, and then bolted across the lawn, immediately disappearing and fading into the dark night.

Cassie tried to catch her breath, her hand trembling and tingling with the traces of power. Her blue eyes were wide and afraid, and she felt…_good_. She lowered her hand, examining the palm. The Balcoin symbol was practically pulsing and wriggling on her skin, like something alive, something separate from her. The sensation was oddly pleasurable, like the relief that comes after a sneeze or the satisfying of an itch. She stretched her fingertips out, as if she could call back the orange electricity.

Moving her fingers reminded her of the damage done to her shoulder, and Cassie winced once more, the odd sensation no longer at the forefront of her mind. Her shoulder was dislocated; there was no doubt about that. She needed to get to the Emergency Room and have someone set it for her.

Staring out the still-open door, Cassie wondered if the figure was still lurking outside, waiting for her. Looking back down at her palm, though, she could almost jump with excitement. A part of her wanted the figure to be there again so she could see what else she could do with that power. Taking a deep, confident breath, Cassie stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Sunday was uneventful compared to the events of Saturday night, leaving Cassie with a lingering sense of confusion, dread, and anticipation. She slept in late after coming home from her late-night ER trip, where she told the doctor she tripped on the coffee table after falling asleep on the couch and tripping in the dark when she tried to get up and go upstairs. She gave Cassie a sympathetic smile, telling her to make sure to get plenty of rest, in her own bed, from then on. The smile was instantly familiar, and Cassie realized the doctor must have known Jane, and was providing one of those sad smiles that had been directed at her all summer.

Once awake, Cassie spent most of the day wandering around the house, wondering what had happened last night. Who was the figure? What was that electricity between them? She had tried to recreate the orange threads all day, but couldn't get it to work. A few times, she thought she could feel a tingling around where the Balcoin symbol would have been, but nothing happened and she was afraid she had just made it up.

Around 4:00 Cassie remembered that Kate Meade would be coming over for dinner that night, and showered and tidied up around the house. Kate showed up at 6:00 with a Greek salad, inviting herself in and gushing over how beautiful Cassie looked. They ate dinner in a mostly awkward silence, with Kate asking her about how school was going, what colleges she was going to apply to, and if she had met any boys lately. Cassie gave mostly one-word answers, then continued to eat after she was full, hoping the chewing would be a good excuse to continue not talking. After she couldn't eat another bite, Kate gave her a strained talk about how Cassie could open up to her about her feelings about losing Amelia and Jane, and that she was welcome at the Meade home whenever she wanted to come over. Cassie could have almost laughed at the last part because of how strained her relationship with Diana had become, but instead cleared her throat and drank some water. Kate left around 8:00, telling Cassie she would be back next week.

Cassie tried to go to bed around 9:00 that night, but ended up staring at her ceiling until 1:30 instead, still fascinated, confused, and seduced by the orange power that had attacked the intruder. As she finally drifted into sleep, she imagined tiny veins of orange electricity darting between the points of the glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling, and was strangely comforted.

* * *

Diana took a deep breath. The scents of autumn filled her nose. She could smell the dry sweetness of the fallen leaves, the aroma of dirt still damp from yesterday's rain, and the salty sharpness in the air as the wind blew over the harbor and carried the mist across town.

Soothed, she turned around and slowly began walking up toward campus. She spent most of the day yesterday working on her college applications and homework, then retreating to a long bath during dinnertime to avoid her Grandma. She was still annoyed with Kate and Grant after the disaster of a dinner on Saturday, and now she was expecting to see Adam oozing concern and protectiveness over Cassie after the drugging debacle, rather than having the appropriate reaction of rage and betrayal. She had _drugged _him, for God's sake. Why was Adam still so hung up on giving her the benefit of the doubt?

Once inside the halls, Diana threw her head back and groaned. Hanging over the entrance was a huge butcher-paper poster in the school colors of crimson and silver advertising:

CHANCE HARBOR HOMECOMING!  
FOOTBALL GAME FRIDAY 6 VS. SEAVIEW H.S.  
DANCE SATURDAY 8

She had forgotten that the Homecoming game and dance was just around the corner. Not only would everyone be exuding school spirit and enthusiasm that week, but the Circle would probably try to convince her to go.

It wasn't that she didn't want to have fun with her friends anymore. She just…wasn't sure _who _her friends were anymore. She didn't feel like she could be around Adam, Faye, and Melissa without bringing out a part of herself she was trying so hard to suppress. She hadn't used magic all summer, and it had left a part of her empty. That emptiness had made her afraid, especially for the first month or so when she could still feel the strange ache from awakening her dark magic. She had felt more powerful than ever in that moment, but also more afraid of what she was capable of, and how much she didn't know about witchcraft. And being around Cassie wasn't even something she could consider because of that, especially now because of what she had done to Adam to try to manipulate the Circle.

There were a few other people she had been close with throughout high school, but last year she had spent almost all of her time exclusively with the Circle, and now felt the impact of those disconnected friendships. She felt like a drifter, not disliked by anyone, not unnoticed by anyone, but not really connected to anyone either. She was trying to keep her focus on her schoolwork, on finding the right college, and telling herself there would be plenty of people her age there looking for new friends as well. But it didn't do much to dull the loneliness she had been going through these first couple weeks of school.

Diana slammed her locker shut harder than she had intended to, and took determined steps toward the staircase to go to her English class. Maybe talking about _Great Expectations _would help clear her mind and help her forget about this stupid Homecoming dance. She pressed her lips together slightly as she realized it probably wouldn't.

* * *

Faye carefully lined her lips with dark red lipstick, eyes steady on her reflection in the mirror hanging on the inside of her locker. She smacked her lips together and puckered, then slammed the metal door shut. She reached for the strap of her shoulder bag, and realized she had left it in the locker.

"Lock unlock," she muttered at the black combination lock. It didn't move. "I said, lock unlock!" Faye repeated, slightly irritated this time. Again, there was no movement. She gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes at it. What was going on?

"Unlock!" Faye yelled. The traffic in the hallway slowed down, and Faye's cheeks got hot as she realized people were staring at her. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, acting like she hadn't noticed.

"Whoa."

Faye turned and saw Melissa lean against the lockers to the right of her own. "Calm down there." Melissa gave her a warm smile.

"The damn thing won't unlock," Faye mumbled, crossing her arms across her chest. "It worked fine on Friday."

"Are you concentrating?" Melissa asked, her voice soft and low. Faye knew her well enough to know that the soft, low tone meant Melissa was confused and concerned. For some reason, it bothered her to think that someone would have to be concerned about her ability to use her power.

"Oh, _wow_," Faye said in a fake-sweet voice. "If only I had thought of _that_!" She rolled her eyes and then went back to glaring at the locker.

"I was just trying to help," Melissa snapped back under her breath. She leaned into the lockers, and then stood up again, starting to walk away from Faye and down the hallway.

Faye bit the inside of her cheek slightly. She knew she shouldn't have snapped at Melissa like that. It wasn't her fault the locker wasn't working. She had just been so on edge since Saturday night and Jake chasing down Cassie. She had expected him to come over on Sunday and apologize, but she hadn't heard from him.

"Wait a second," Faye said, quickly turning the combination and reaching in for her bag before trotting up behind Melissa. "Are you going to the Homecoming dance?" She made an effort to make her voice softer than it had been before. Melissa was her best friend. She should be complaining about Jake to her, not taking it out on her.

"I think I'm kind of officially over the whole school dance thing, given our track record last year," Melissa said coolly. Faye wasn't sure if the tone of voice had to do with thinking back on the series of disasters that had been their social lives at school events, or if she was still upset with her.

Faye shrugged, trying to keep her voice casual. "Yeah, but…it's our last year, and—"

"You want to buy something to make Jake go wild?"

Faye grinned. "Exactly." She pursed her blood-red lips. "What better way to spend my mom's money?" She beamed at Melissa, which earned her a small smile in return.

"I don't know if I'm going to go," Melissa said, this time her voice back to normal. She stopped in front of her History classroom door.

Faye arched an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I'm kind of tired of being the third wheel every Saturday night. I think I'll just see if Diana and Cassie are going to stay home, or else meet up with Troy or something."

"Who's Troy?" Faye asked. She had meant to ask Melissa what she meant about being the third wheel every Saturday, and was surprised to hear herself ask this question instead.

"He's a Junior. I hung out with him on Saturday when you flaked out on me."

"Oh my god, Melissa, I am _so _sorry!" Faye gushed, suddenly remembering their plans to have lunch at the BOATYARD and see a movie. "I am such an idiot. My mom and I got in this fight, and then—"

"I get it, Faye," Melissa said, her voice cool again. "I'll see you later. I have to get to class." Melissa turned around and went into her History classroom, leaving Faye in the hallway.

* * *

"Have you seen her yet today?" Adam asked as he and Diana walked through the cafeteria together. They found a table underneath a tall, warmly sunnied window, and pulled lunches out of their bags.

"Who?" Diana asked, pulling out a bright red apple, even though she knew exactly who Adam was referring to.

"Cassie," Adam said, not seeming to catch on. "We should have English together after lunch, but—"

"Then you'll see her soon enough," Diana interrupted. She pointed to a group of Freshmen at a table near them, who were all wearing brightly colored clothing. "It's 'neon' theme for Monday," she said, changing the subject. "Do you remember when we used to get all dressed up for Spirit Week?"

Adam laughed lightly, unpeeling a banana. "Yes," he said, shaking his head and looking to the side, happily lost in some memory. "Remember sophomore year when there was a Wild West themed day, and we dressed up like Bonnie and Clyde—"

"But I was Clyde and you were Bonnie," Diana finished, laughing warmly. "That was so much fun. We had the best costumes."

"I know, remember how everyone was joking that we should just wear them again Senior year when we'd be Homecoming King and—" Adam stopped suddenly, awkwardly, his eyes nervously unable to look away from Diana.

She could feel color flush across her cheeks, and she lowered her head, taking another bite of her apple. "Yeah," she said stupidly, wondering what else she should have said.

"Are you going to go?" Adam asked her. "With Grant?"

"I don't think I want to go," Diana said, swallowing her too-big bite of apple. The lump slid slowly down her throat.

"Why not? He seems like a good date," Adam said, before giving her a forced smile and taking another bite of banana.

"I guess once you've done it three times already it just loses some appeal," Diana said, shrugging. "Are you going to go?"

"Yeah. Probably. I guess so."

"With who?" Diana asked, trying to sound casual. Her hand hovered over her sandwich, and she gritted her teeth, hoping he wouldn't say what she thought he was going to—

"I was thinking of asking Cassie—"

"Adam!"

"—to go as friends."

The two stared at each other, strained, both trying to get a better read on the other's reaction.

"Only as friends," Adam said gently. "You know just as well as anyone that I don't have feelings for her."

"I don't care if you go with someone as friends or as more than friends," Diana said, trying to keep her voice firm instead of angry. "But _Cassie_? Do you not remember two days ago when the girl drugged you? What do you think will happen at Homecoming?"

"Maybe having fun at the dance is exactly what she needs to snap back into her old self," Adam said, shrugging and unwrapping a granola bar. "Besides, I don't know if she's going to go with anyone else. And she's spending far too much time alone at home."

"Please, someone will be more than happy to ask her out to the dance," Diana said, studying her sandwich carefully.

"Someone will ask you if you don't say you're going with Grant," Adam said. His voice creaked in a strange way. Diana figured he was trying to be funny, but it came out as something different she couldn't pin down.

"Doubtful," Diana replied, taking a bite of her food.

Before Adam could reply, Faye stormed over to their table, and slapped a bright pink flyer down on the table.

"Have you _seen _this yet?" she demanded, huffing and sitting heavily in an empty chair.

"No," Adam replied, leaning over and tugging it free from Faye's angry fingertips. "What is it?"

"It's an advertisement for the Homecoming dance," Faye said, still fuming.

"Oh, yeah , I saw the poster when I came in this morning," Diana replied. "I know, it's like, why are people so—"

Faye cut Diana off. "It says guests will not be allowed. Only CHHS students can attend."

Diana and Adam gave her confused glances, not understanding why she was barely able to keep her voice under a shout.

"As in, 'No Jakes Allowed'," Faye spat out. She grabbed the hot pink sheet from Adam and crumpled it up, throwing it across the room. "This is crap," she said, crossing her arms and collapsing against the back of the chair. "I bet my mom did it on purpose, just to piss me off."

"I don't know if that's something that only your mom would get a say in," Diana offered. "Usually they have committees and that sort of thing."

"She's treating me like a child!" Faye yelled, ignoring Diana and jumping back onto her feet. "I'm going to go make her change the rule. I'm not going by myself."

"Go with Melissa," Adam offered, a strange, strained smile twisting his lips when he said her name.

"I don't think so," Faye fumed before storming off back toward the cafeteria doors.

"Poor, tortured Faye," Adam said in a mockingly tragic voice, making big eyes at Diana. She couldn't help but laugh, which caused Adam to snort and laugh with her.

* * *

Melissa strolled down the empty street, slowly making her way home from school. Her eyes were fixed upward, looking at the puffy clouds in the sky, and the dark gray ones on the horizon. It would rain soon. The amber colored leaves were rustling in the wind, sounding almost musical as they brushed up against each other. It was one of those beautiful Pacific Northwest Washington afternoons just after fall arrives and everything is caught in a glorious transition between the life of summer and death of winter. Melissa didn't think there was any time of year that was more beautiful than this.

Most of the driveways on the road were empty, their owners still at work. The houses seemed strangely fake because of that, as if they were just a row of dollhouses. Most of the homes in her neighborhood were old Victorians, which just added to the charm. Behind her, the busy sounds of school getting out were lost behind the row of trees she crossed through to walk home, and she was in a serene, quiet, and picturesque scene.

The sound was interrupted by the vibrating of her phone in the pocket of her denim jacket. Melissa pulled it out, and saw that it was Troy.

"Hello?" she asked, pushing a few curls out of her face.

"Hey, Melissa. It's Troy."

"Hey, Troy," Melissa said, noticing how bright her voice sounded when she said his name.

"How are you doing?" Troy's voice was soft on the phone, somehow endearingly so to Melissa.

"Oh, fine," Melissa said, swaying slightly as she turned the corner from Maple Road onto the cul-de-sac she lived on. "Just walking home from school. I looked for you today. I didn't see you."

"What lunch do you have?" Troy asked.

"Second."

"Oh, I have first. It's too bad we don't have any classes together." Troy's voice was genuinely disappointed, which made Melissa smile in spite of herself. "Well, hey," Troy said, clearing his throat. "The reason I called is because I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner with me tonight."

"Oh," Melissa said, her smile growing a little more. "That sounds nice."

"Great! I was thinking we could—"

"My dad and stepmom are having people over for dinner tonight though," Melissa said.

"I see," Troy said, the excitement in his voice wilted away.

"But how about tomorrow night?" Melissa suggested.

"Yeah, great!" Troy said, brightness returned. "That would be awesome. I haven't been too many places since I moved here, but I really liked the Thai restaurant downtown. Have you been there? Do you like it?"

Melissa laughed a little, charmed by the enthusiasm in Troy's voice. She didn't think anyone had ever been so excited just to take her on a date before.

"…Is it bad?" Troy asked, his voice hesitant. "I mean, because there wasn't really a lot of Thai food where I grew up, so I'm not really sure what _good _Thai food is, you know?"

"Troy, no," Melissa said, still beaming as she reached into her pocket for the house keys. He was so _cute_! "It's a great restaurant. That would be a lot of fun to go."

"Awesome!" Troy exclaimed. "I'll come pick you up at 6:30 if that's okay!"

"Sure," Melissa agreed, closing the door behind her and dropping her shoulder bag on the bench along the window. "I live on Minister Way. Do you know where that is?"

"Right behind the high school?" Troy asked.

"Yep. Off of Maple. It's 113 Minister."

"113 Minister," Troy repeated firmly. "Got it. I'll see you tomorrow night at 6:30, Miss Melissa of 113 Minister Way."

Melissa grinned, sitting down on the bench next to her bag. "Great," she said softly, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I can't wait."

"I know!" Troy said, and she could practically hear his smile in his voice. "Well, have fun with your dad and stepmom at dinner tonight."

"Thanks. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Melissa hung up, then pressed the phone against her collarbone. The grin was still on her face. She leaned against the light blue wall, its brightness a perfect match to her mood somehow. Her feet wiggled, and she let out a high-pitched, excited giggle before hopping up from the bench and racing up the stairs to her room.

* * *

Faye studied the noodles and vegetables on the scarlet red serving plate in front of her, pushing a piece of broccoli with a fork to make it look more like something out of a cookbook. When she had gotten home from school, she was expecting to compose a list of her demands regarding the rules for the Homecoming dance. But, instead, realizing that all she and her mom did lately was fight, she decided that she would cook her mom a nice dinner instead, and try to win her over that way. Then she remembered she didn't know how to cook. Take-out never hurt anyone, she figured, and ordered Chinese to stage on their nicest serving dishes for when Dawn got back from work.

As soon as she saw the headlights in the kitchen window, Faye hurried to place the chow mein, orange chicken, and egg-drop soup on the table. She pulled out some wine glasses and poured sparkling water in them, twisting the cap back on as Dawn walked through the front door.

"Oh my goodness," Dawn said, smiling as she looked into the kitchen and saw the candles and dinner Faye had arranged. She was stuck in the doorframe for a moment, a warm smile still on her face. "Faye, did you make this? Of course not. But thank you!" She unbuttoned her coat, hanging it on the coat rack, and walked into the kitchen, giving her daughter a hug. "This is exactly what I needed! Today was exhausting," Dawn said, sitting down and sipping her sparkling water.

"Really?" Faye asked, grinning and sitting in the opposite chair. "Tell me about it." She folded her hands together and rested her chin on them as she batted her eyelashes at her mom.

Dawn looked at her daughter, slightly confused, before taking another sip of water and saying, "Everyone is going crazy about this dance. Some parents want a different dress code than we've had in the past, others don't want us to spend as much money so that we have more for the Junior and Senior proms, and the Faculty Committee doesn't have any volunteers for chaperones."

"It sounds like you have a lot on your hands," Faye said smoothly, running her thumb over the curve of the wine glass as Dawn scooped some noodles onto her plate. "You know what might make it easier?"

"Hmm?" Dawn asked, slurping up a spoonful of soup.

"Just don't worry so much about the rules," Faye said with a nonchalant shrug. "I mean, that's what you're getting caught up on, right? Make it simple. Make each teacher chaperone once per year, and draw names out of a hat to decide on Homecoming."

Dawn interrupted. "That's actually a really good idea," she said, nodding as she took another spoonful of soup.

"Yeah," Faye said, grinning. "I know. Well, and as far as the budget, make the Juniors and Seniors fund-raise for the Proms. That way the Freshmen and Sophomores will get awesome dances too, and then they'll want to fund-raise when they're Juniors and Seniors so that their Proms can be bigger and better."

"That would make the School Board happy," Dawn said, nodding.

"Yeah, and let people bring guests if they're a couple years older."

"We can't do that one," Dawn said, shaking her head. "There were too many problems with the dances last year. The School Board made it clear that only Chance Harbor students are allowed to attend. They're hoping it will avoid the problems we had last time. But what do you think about the dress code issues?"

"What's the harm in bringing your boyfriend or girlfriend if they were a year ahead of you and graduated already?" Faye asked, impatient but trying to keep her voice sweet.

"Well, nothing, usually. It's normally anyone under 20 to accommodate that sort of thing. But the School Board is being really strict about it this year. As for—"

"Well, change the rule, then," Faye said, jaw clenched. "You're the principal, you can do that."

"Not really," Dawn began.

"_Why not_?" Faye hissed, slamming her glass down on the table. Some of the foamy water sloshed over the edge and dribbled down onto the tablecloth.

Dawn's eyes moved up from her plate and looked hard at Faye.

"This is about Jake, isn't it?" she asked coolly, her jaw suddenly tight, tugging on some wrinkles around her mouth.

"Of course it is!" Faye exclaimed. "It's not fair that I can't bring my boyfriend!"

"Faye, please," Dawn sighed. "It's not my rule—"

"But what's the use of being the principal if you can't _change_ the rules?" Faye spat.

"That's not how my job works, Faye," Dawn said, her voice flat.

"It should be!" Faye exclaimed, stabbing a piece of chicken with her fork. "What am I supposed to do then?"

"Go with Melissa," Dawn shrugged.

Faye huffed and rolled her eyes, slinking down slightly in her seat.

* * *

Diana sat on the end of her bed, her knees tucked against her chest, and her freshly-painted purple toenails dangling carefully over the edge. Her gaze shifted between the pile of college admissions brochures stacked on her desk, to the half-eaten plate of apple pie her grandmother had sent up with her after dinner, and then to the window curtain, which was blowing softly in the breeze from her cracked window.

Diana looked back down at her toes, realizing she had painted four coats on them. The result of boredom and a distracted mind. She had spent all her time doing homework or researching colleges. She didn't have anyone to hang out with after school anymore, and she tried to avoid her grandma as much as possible. Even though Kate was becoming a more and more normal presence in her life, she felt guilty accepting that, as if she had somehow given up on her father, and felt even guiltier when she forgot to be angry at Kate.

She jumped slightly at the unexpected sound of her telephone vibrating, causing her toes to curl again. She quickly examined them, making sure none of the paint had smeared. Satisfied, she turned to the phone. Her stomach dropped a little as she saw it was Grant. _God, what is wrong with me? _Diana thought, instantaneously guilty for the nervous feeling. It was her boyfriend—why be nervous about talking to him too?

"Hello," Diana answered, wishing her voice didn't sound so apprehensive.

"Hey, Di. How are you doing?" Grant's cheerful accent was bright and lilting.

"Oh, you know. Fine, I guess. Just busy with school. How are you?"

"I'm good. I've missed you…" His voice trailed off like there was something else he was going to add but couldn't find the words quickly enough.

"Sorry," Diana apologized, feeling like she had blundered over the word. _Why is this phone call so awkward!? _she internally wailed. "Like I said, school has been really busy lately."

"I understand," Grant replied, his voice soft and accepting. "We've been getting ready to head out to port on the ship. It's been a lot of work—I had forgotten just how much, since last time I had you to distract me!"

"Yeah, I don't think I'll ever forgot how much work that was," Diana laughed, finally feeling at ease. "I'm jealous you had a distraction."

"The loveliest," Grant laughed, followed by a breath of relief. "Which reminds me, could I maybe take you out to dinner this week? I could use that lovely distraction right about now."

"Umm…" Diana said, scrunching her toes and looking at her calendar on the wall. Big, red letters read HOMECOMING on Friday, and then followed up with a frowny face on Saturday. "Would…Friday work?"

"Don't you want to go to the game?" Grant asked. "Or were you thinking we'd go together?"

"No," Diana said, too quickly. "I mean, I just really don't want to go to Homecoming this year. Wait…how did you know about Homecoming?"

"There are banners all over town. Have you just missed them?"

"I guess I just haven't gotten out lately." The comment had stung a little, and Diana sat up a little straighter, as if to roll it off.

"Why don't you want to go?" Grant asked, his voice shifting to serious concern.

"It's not a big deal," Diana said, slightly annoyed that not wanting to go to a football game should merit concern. "I just don't feel like going."

"But it's your last year," Grant said. Was his voice almost pleading?

"And it's my decision." Diana's voice was firm and final. "Besides, I couldn't take you with me anyways. There's a rule that only the high school students can attend. You're too old."

Grant laughed a little at this. "Yep, practically ancient."

This made Diana laugh too, and she added, "So I guess we'll just plan on dinner for Friday then?"

"That sounds wonderful to me."

"Okay. Pick me up at 6?"

"I'll be counting the moments until then."

Diana made a gagging sound, but couldn't help but grin. "Cheesy!" She called into the phone before hanging up.

She walked over to her desk, pulling the calendar off the wall to white-out the Homecoming writing, and started munching on the rest of her pie.

* * *

Cassie took a deep breath as she stepped outside of the Java Bean. The warm scents of coffee, baked goods, and the vanilla aroma that circulated the building were replaced by the dampness of cement as the rain softly began to come down. Somehow the rain was a relief—the stifling dryness of summer would be banished, and everything from that spring and summer would be washed away and destroyed from memory.

"Cassie,"

Startled, Cassie turned around, half-expecting to see the silhouette who had entered her house on Saturday night. Instead, Adam was walking up to her, his black rain jacket tight around his body. Cassie pulled her gray wool cardigan around her body as she was reminded of the chill in the air.

"Oh," she said, tugging on a strand of blond hair as she looked from Adam to the ground. "Hi, Adam."

How was she supposed to act around him? She had avoided speaking with him in class today and yesterday, and had been leaving campus during lunch so she wouldn't have to sit with him. It wasn't because she felt guilty about drugging him…it was because of the fact that she felt nothing at all about it. She had realized this was unlike her, and thought that Adam would somehow be able to pick up on it, then realize he had been fooled.

"I thought I'd be able to find you here," he said with a light laugh.

"Every Tuesday from 3-6," Cassie said awkwardly, trying to laugh back. She shifted from foot to foot, wishing she had worn something more comfortable than chunky heels.

"So, anyways…" Adam's voice trailed off, and he shoved his hands roughly into the pockets of his rain jacket.

_Oh, God_, Cassie thought, eyes widening slightly. _He knows about what I did…"_

"Adam," she started, his head snapping up to stare at her. She blinked a few times, trying to figure out what to say.

"So can I drive you home?" he offered.

"I drove myself. Don't want to leave my car here overnight," she laughed, the smile staying on her face longer than it should have.

"Right," Adam said, "duh."

"Okay, well…nice seeing you!" Cassie said before hurriedly crossing the street to get into her car. Once inside, she slammed the door, looking out the corner of her eye to where Adam was still standing on the sidewalk in front of the Java Bean.

"Nice," she whispered to herself. "So natural. 'Why, yes, Adam, I did drug you, thank you for noticing. No, I have no regret whatsoever, you are correct.'"

She let her forehead fall on the steering wheel, before taking a deep breath and starting the car. _I just need to get home and take a hot shower and go to bed_, she thought. _I'll feel much better then. He doesn't know anything. I'm being weird._

She drove off down the street, eager to get back home, take a shower, eat dinner, finish her math homework, and go to bed.

* * *

Adam stood on the sidewalk where Cassie had left him, still slightly stunned at her sudden departure.

Since when was it so hard to talk to her? He had never had any problems with that since she first arrived in Chance Harbor, and now he can't even form a sentence around her.

And who just shows up at someone's work anyway? _That was probably why she was so uncomfortable, you freak_, Adam thought, mentally scolding himself for doing something she probably thought was creepy.

"Yes, I have memorized your work schedule," Adam said bitterly to himself, then realized he was still on the sidewalk and the rain was getting heavier. Tugging his raincoat a little closer, he turned around to walk back to his truck.

"I'm not even asking her on a real date," he mumbled to himself, embarrassed by the rejection even though no one had been there to see it. "I want to go as friends."

The wind picked up at that moment, and Adam felt like it was laughing at him, completely aware of the root of his embarrassment. Angrily, he slammed the truck door closed, and took off back toward his house, silently fuming.

His knuckles were white as they clutched the steering wheel, and he had the music up as loud as it could go. He was grinding his back molars, though unaware of it, and his head was starting to pound as a result.

Adam let out a primal grunt as he punched the steering wheel as he pulled into the driveway. He killed the motor, and continued to punch the dashboard.

Suddenly aware of the fact he was being watched, Adam looked up to see his father, mail in his hands, staring with a look of surprise. Ethan's eyebrows were uncharacteristically arched instead of furrowed, and his body was totally still, as if paused.

"What?" Adam snapped as he slammed the door behind him.

"Son," Ethan said cautiously, reaching for Adam as he walked past him. Adam dodged his father, shoving his hands back in his coat pockets.

"Adam," Ethan said, this time his voice low and serious. It caused Adam to stop in his tracks, and turn to face the man he realized was using parental authority.

"What has been wrong with you lately?" Ethan asked, his voice now displaying a genuine confusion and concern. "You've been so…angry. It's not like you."

"Teenage hormones, I guess," Adam hissed, his voice mocking. "All that damn testosterone."

"You can tell me what's happening in your life," Ethan said, ignoring his son's attitude. Now his voice was softer, his eyes pleading. "You need to. You know that what makes us…special…is also what makes our problems special. I can help you, you know."

"Yeah, sure," Adam hissed, before turning back toward the front door and jogging up the steps. He slammed the door behind him, wishing he could lock it without locking his dad out. He still had enough presence of mind to realize that would just be childish.

What _was _wrong with him? His head felt cloudy, and now that he was out of the car with the blaring music and smell of oil, he could feel a sense of clarity returning. His dad was right…he had never had anger problems, ever, in his entire life.

"I just need to calm down," Adam mumbled, hearing his father's footsteps coming up the walkway. He threw his coat on the rack, knowing he needed to go downstairs for a bit…that would calm him down.

* * *

Melissa took a deep breath, taking one final look in the mirror—at least she promised it was her last look.

She had put on her favorite pair of dark denim jeans, with zippers just above the ankle and seams that hugged her hips perfectly. She paired it with a black tank-top that had beading around the collar and dripping down the center of the shirt. She had slipped on her black satin wedges, and pulled her hair back to show off her black pearl earrings.

"You look beautiful, Princess," Carver said as he walked behind Melissa and kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks, Daddy," Melissa said, smiling at her reflection.

The doorbell rang from downstairs, and the two looked at each other.

"I'll get it," Carver said with a playful smile, hurrying toward the staircase.

"No!" Melissa laughed, trotting behind him in her wedges. "Please, don't! Let me get it! He's really nice, I swear!"

The door swung open when Melissa was half-way down the stairs, revealing Troy standing on the other side with a big bouquet of sunflowers. It stopped her in her tracks.

"Hi, Mr. Glaser?" Troy asked, offering his hand to shake Melissa's father's hand. "I'm Troy Clarke."

Carver accepted Troy's hand, looking sternly down from his tall frame. "Hi, Troy. Did you drive yourself here?"

"Daddy—" Melissa started, but Troy seemed oddly cool while being grilled by her father. She had only ever had two boys come to her house to pick her up on a date before, once at the end of middle school and the second time for her Freshman Homecoming dance, both times when her dates were too young to stand up to Carver's interrogation.

"Yes, sir," Troy said, nodding firmly.

"Your car safe?" Carver followed up.

"Yes, sir. It's a new Rav4. I've been saving up for my own since I started working the summer after my freshman year of high school, but when my mom passed away, I inherited her car."

"I'm sorry to hear about your mother," Carver said. "That's a rough you never recover from."

Troy nodded, and Melissa stood frozen in place, simultaneously saddened by the obvious look of pain that had come over Troy's light eyes, as well as impressed by how well he was handling meeting her father.

"Where are you taking my daughter for dinner tonight?"

"Taste of Thailand, downtown," Troy answered promptly.

"That's an expensive restaurant. Do you plan on paying?"

"Daddy!" Melissa hissed, trotting down the last few steps.

"Of course, sir. Like I said, I've been working since the beginning of high school. Buying Melissa a nice meal would be my pleasure." He smiled, and Carver gave a firm nod, a signal that Troy had answered that question with satisfaction.

"And when will I plan on seeing Melissa home again this evening?"

"I have reservations at 7, so no later than 9, if that's acceptable for you and Melissa."

"It sounds _great_ to me," Melissa butt in, taking the bouquet from Troy. "Thank you," she said, her voice softer. "These are beautiful. Sunflowers are my favorite, you know."

Troy beamed at her, a look of affection clearly in his eyes.

"I'll see you again at 9, Troy," Carver said, reaching out to shake his hand once more. He turned toward Melissa, his face instantly softening. "Have a good time, sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head once more.

Melissa smiled and waved as she headed down the walkway to Troy's car.

"I'm impressed," she said, smiling as Troy closed the door behind her. "Not too many people can hold their ground when they're up against my dad."

"He seems like a nice guy," Troy said, buckling himself in. "Serious, but probably really sweet once he accepts you, right?"

Melissa smiled. "Exactly right."

"Well, I think some Thai food sounds excellent around now. Shall we?" Troy smiled and started the engine.

* * *

Faye sat staring at the ivory-colored plate covered in chocolate crumbs, contemplating the lack of reaction she had gotten from Jake.

One of those trendy cupcake boutiques had just opened, and Jake suggested going on a dessert date to try it out. Thinking a dessert date meant a cupcake and then a rendezvous back to Jake's place for the real dessert, Faye had eagerly agreed, expecting Jake to pour out apologies and reassure her that anything he and Cassie had had last year was over, all without mentioning her name, of course.

Instead, they had actually gone out for cupcakes, and then had a 20-minute conversation since finishing them, revolving mostly around Jake's job at a hardware store that one of Richard's old friends owned, and then a transition into his wondering about the state of the Circle and if bound or unbound was better for all of them.

"Jake," Faye finally interrupted. "My mom still won't budge on this issue with the dance."

"I'm not really the school dance type," Jake said with a grin, his long blond hair curling over his forehead. It looked so cute to Faye; she wondered what the cupcake store's policy on PDA was.

"Well, I'm the type who likes to have her boyfriend at the dance," Faye said, smiling sourly. "And I'm also the kind of girl who always gets her way. So, this is officially the worst thing that's ever happened to me."

"Oh, really?" Jake said, teasingly, reaching across the table to take her hand. "The absolute worst?"

"Absolutely," Faye said, smiling coyly this time as Jake brushed her palm with his thumb. She bit her lip. "So," she said airily, "I guess we're just going to have to sneak you in."

"I'm not sure that would make your mom like me any more than she does already," Jake said slowly. "Which is not at all."

"My mom doesn't…mind you," Faye said, shrugging. "I think she still just thinks of you as Old Jake. She doesn't really know New Jake yet."

"Well, I'm not sure breaking into a school dance is the best way to meet New Jake. That sounds a lot like something Old Jake would do."

"More importantly, it sounds like something Faye wants. So do it." She took her hand away, folding her arms over her chest.

"Faye," Jake sighed, leaning back into his chair.

"I can make sure you don't get caught," Faye said quietly, arching an eyebrow and grinning. "I'm pretty sure Diana has a cloaking spell in her Book of Shadows. Perfect way to get you in."

"Faye," Jake started again, but was cut off as Faye stood up.

"Pick me up at Diana's at 7, okay?" She grabbed her purse, signaling she was ready for Jake to drive her home.

"Okay," Jake sighed, pushing his chair in. "I'll be there."

* * *

Cassie fought her way through the hordes of 80s-themed students in her effort to make it to her car. Tuesday had brought Dr. Suess-themed horrors of adult onesie pajamas and ugly wigs, Wednesday was full of red, yellow, green, and blue as each class was assigned a color to dress in, and now Thursday was over, which meant she had fought off bad interpretations of glam rock and _The Breakfast Club_ all day long.

"Excuse me," Cassie gritted through her teeth, pushing her way past the fifteenth Madonna she had seen that day.

"Where's your costume?" an over-eager freshman boy called at her, grinning in his _Grease _T-Bird outfit.

"Wrong decade," Cassie grumbled, wiggling her way through the crowd and leaving a disappointed and confused 14-year-old behind her.

"Whoa!" Adam gasped as Cassie bumped into him, emerging from the halls and out the front doors of the high school.

"Sorry!" Cassie said, backing away to face him. Her arm tingled slightly where it had pressed against his back.

"Oh, hey, it's all right," Adam said, turning and recognizing Cassie. "I was hoping to bump into you anyways, so I guess the literal interpretation works."

Cassie tried to laugh, but it came out instead as an exasperated sigh. She still felt awkward thinking about Tuesday night.

"Sick of Spirit Week already?" Adam asked, grinning knowingly.

"Why do people do this?" Cassie moaned. "And why does it make them want to stay at school after it's over, clogging up the hallways and putting up even more decorations for their class? The game's tomorrow, what's the point?"

"It's a sick thing, Spirit Week," Adam said, trying to compose his face to look as serious as possible. "Makes people do things they're not proud of; things no self-respecting teenager would be proud of."

Cassie genuinely laughed this time, brushing some stray hair out of her face and starting to walk toward her car with Adam. Apparently whatever had happened between them on Tuesday night had been left there. "Seriously," she agreed, then felt that familiar lump return to her throat. She tried to swallow it away.

"So I take it you're probably not planning on going to the game and the dance?" Adam asked, leaning against the front of Cassie's car.

"Probably not," Cassie repeated, the corner of her mouth curling into a small grin. "Why? You're not, are you?"

"Not without someone to go with me and hate it just as much as I do," Adam said, returning the coy grin. "What kind of person do you take me for, Cassie Blake?"

Cassie forced her smile to stay on her face. God, she had missed this. This almost felt like flirting with Adam again, making plans to go to a dance together, enjoying their final year of high school together…things they should have been doing if it weren't for that stupid curse.

"Well, I hope you find someone then," Cassie said, reaching for the door handle. The lump in her throat was throbbing now, that feeling before crying, but without any tears. She couldn't do this…how was this just so _easy _for Adam?

"I was hoping you would," Adam said, his expression frozen in place as he waited for Cassie's reaction.

Cassie turned to face him, a look of shock on her features. Her heart was pounding and her mind was racing. Did he really just ask her on a date? Did that mean he wanted to try things again? Did he know that the potion had never worked on her? Was this their chance?

"Just as friends, you know," Adam added, his expressions slightly nervous as he continued to study the stunned look on Cassie's face. "So we won't miss out. Not as a date."

_Not as a date. _The words pierced Cassie. The lump suddenly shriveled up, and she was left feeling lightheaded and dizzy.

"Oh," she managed to chirp out, her voice small and higher-pitched than usual. "Just as friends. Well, yeah…in that case…sure…" The words were spilling out of her mouth, and she didn't seem to have any control over them.

"Great," Adam smiled. "I hope this still gives you enough time to pick out a dress."

"Yes…a dress…" Cassie mumbled, reaching for the car handle again. "Well, I should go get that now…you know…well, okay, bye," Cassie said, scrambling into the car.

Adam looked slightly confused, but waved and patted the front of the car as Cassie backed up.

Her eyes were stinging, but she felt like she was too shocked still to produce any tears. Her muscles were tense, but her limbs felt loose, like she was free-falling and waiting for the impact. Nothing happened, though, and she remained suspended in the whirlwind of confusion and self-imposed denial.

Cassie didn't seem to see anything on the drive home, which should have scared her, but instead she just parked the car, wandered inside, and sat at the kitchen table, staring out the window and trying to figure out what had happened and how she felt about it.

* * *

Faye stood at her locker, glaring at the crowds moved past her, decked out in CHHS gear. Three nights and five fights later, she had resorted to giving her mother the silent treatment, and was still not any closer to changing the rules.

"Diana," Faye said, snatching the girl's arm as she moved past her locker. Diana stopped, giving Faye a somewhat suspicious look.

"I've never liked that expression on your face, you know," she said. "The answer is no."

"You didn't even hear the question."

"Doesn't matter. The answer is still no," Diana said, tugging herself out of Faye's reach.

"Are you going to the dance tomorrow?" Faye asked.

"Not even," Diana laughed, halting in her escape, and turning to face Faye. "Why? Did you decide to go with Melissa?"

"No," Faye responded. "I don't even think Melissa is going. She told me Troy asked her, but that she told him she's just not ready for a relationship just yet. Enjoying the single lady thing, or something like that."

"Who is Troy?"

"Exactly what I would like to know. Apparently he's a Junior. I haven't met him yet, though." Faye tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. "So you're not going to the dance?"

"No. You're not either. No one is."

"Adam and Cassie are."

Diana hesitated. Faye was studying her for her reaction, and made no effort to hide that. Diana made no effort to mask her reaction.

"Together?"

"Together."

Diana felt her lips press together slightly.

"You know, I _am _going to the dance," Faye said, generously sparing Diana of the conversation she would have normally gone after. "I'm just not going with Melissa."

"Who are you going with?" Diana asked.

"Well, I'm going with Jake. But as far as my mom is concerned, we're going together." Faye looked matter-of-factly at Diana, her expression almost daring the girl to challenge her.

"I just told you I'm not going, Faye," Diana sighed.

"I was thinking we could do a cloaking spell to get Jake and Grant in," Faye said in a whisper, leaning closer to Diana. "How fun would that be?"

"I'm not doing magic with you," Diana whispered back, trying to make her voice as firm as possible. "But…I will go with you to the dance."

"Really?" Faye asked, her expression bright and surprised.

"Why not?" Diana shrugged.

"Is this because of Cassie and Adam?" Faye asked slowly, arching an eyebrow and grinning mischievously. "Want to keep an eye on them?"

"I don't care about what they do," Diana spat back. "Adam and I haven't been together in months. He's allowed to do whatever he wants. I just…want to have some fun."

"Well, perfect!" Faye cooed. "I'll be at your house tomorrow at 4 to get ready. Want to go dress shopping tonight?"

"I can't, I'm supposed to go with Grant to get dinner...ugh, but sure. He'll understand. I'll call him and let him know we'll reschedule to next week."

"Sounds perfect," Faye said through her grin. "I'll pick you up at 5 to go out." She waved at Diana, and then walked down the hallway, pleased by how well the conversation had gone.

* * *

Cassie stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom, trying to tame an unruly wave. Adam was supposed to be here five minutes ago…did he change his mind?

The doorbell answered that question for her, and Cassie moved as quickly as possible from her room, down the stairs, and to the front door. There was an equal sense of excitement and dread as she did. She had gone back and forth between wanting to put no effort whatsoever into her outfit, to send the signal that she had no desire to try to impress Adam, and wanting to look as stunning as possible, to try to win him back.

When she opened the door, their expressions as they looked at each other revealed that the second route had been the right choice. Cassie felt her heart skip a beat as she looked at Adam, who was wearing midnight black slacks and a light gray button-up shirt with a satin, pale-blue tie to match Cassie's dress.

"Wow," Adam breathed, looking at Cassie. "You look…amazing."

She had chosen a knee-length, light blue spaghetti-strap satin dress, the same shade as her eyes. It hugged her hips and thighs, but was loose through the bust, with crystal beading around the edge that was softly glowing in the faint light from the setting sun. Her hair was wavy and in a messy up-do, revealing her silver earrings. She was wearing light gray pumps, and had on a crystal bracelet.

"Thank you," she said, smoothing out her dress. "You look…great."

Adam beamed, and opened the door a bit wider for them to leave through. Cassie's heart felt like it was going to pound right through her chest. She fought the urge to kiss him, and instead walked deliberately to his car.

The ride was somewhat awkward, with some strained conversation and nervous laughter. They had passed on dinner with Diana, Faye, and Jake, and instead were going straight to the dance. Cassie was grateful for this decision once she felt how tight her stomach felt. How did she think she was going to get through a whole evening this close to Adam?

Once at the high school, Adam escorted Cassie inside, looping his arm around hers. The fabric of his shirt felt warm and light against her bare arm, and she wanted to lean into his side, rest her head on his shoulder. Instead, her posture was unnaturally stiff, and she tried to focus on the sounds coming from inside the gym.

The entire room was vibrating with an upbeat pop song, and about a hundred sweaty bodies moving to the beat. Some hovered on the outskirts, hesitantly trying to build up the courage to ask someone to dance, and others who had arrived without dates hovered around the refreshments table, sipping on punch and munching on a cake boasting of their victory against Seaview.

"So glad you could make it!" Faye exclaimed as she sauntered over to Cassie and Adam, pulling Cassie out of her daze.

Faye was wearing a scarlet red, form-fitting dress, built through the bust as a corset and then clinging to her hips. Her high-heeled black ankle booties and black crystal jewelry set off the contrast between her dark hair and light eyes, and she looked absolutely delirious with victory.

"So I take it Jake is around here somewhere?"

"She cloaked him in," Diana said somewhat disapprovingly as she walked over to them. Her dress was an eggplant purple, strapless and ruched through the bodice, before flaring out at the waist with elegant folds.

"You look beautiful, Diana," Adam said, smiling at her. Cassie felt her heart dropped. Diana did look beautiful. And she was the one Adam probably really wanted to be with tonight.

"Thanks," Diana said, smiling slightly. "You look great yourself…and great dress, Cassie. It really sets off your eyes."

"Oh, yeah," Cassie said, voice somewhat strained. "It was just the first thing I saw—"

"Well, it was an excellent choice," Jake said, appearing from nowhere and looping his arm around Faye's waist. "Job well done."

"Hey, you look a little old to be a student here," Cassie said jokingly, placing her index finger and thumb on her chin, jokingly studying Jake. Everyone laughed, which brought a lightness to Cassie's spirit. This was exactly like it was supposed to be…their Circle, enjoying high school together, her and Adam together again…Maybe things could get better.

"So shall we dance?" Adam asked. Cassie felt her heart flutter before she realized that this question was directed more at the entire group.

"Of course!" Faye said, grabbing Jake's hand and dragging him out onto the dance floor.

Cassie smiled feebly as she let Adam guide her and Diana, wishing she could just change her mind and go home. What was she doing here? Why did she think things had gotten better? The three of them danced together as the music continued to blare, and Cassie felt like she was still on the verge of tears.

Faye and Jake were in their own world, dancing closer and closer as the music intensified. Adam moved stiffly and awkwardly, but Diana seemed to be enjoying herself, letting go of some of the anxiety that had encased her since she returned to Chance Harbor. Cassie tried to let her thoughts focus just on the rising beat of the music, but couldn't take her eyes away from the space between Adam and Diana. Was she being paranoid, or was it becoming smaller and smaller?

The beat died off suddenly, ending the song. Diana stopped moving, panting and smiling. There was a trace of sweat along her hairline.

"That was so much fun!" She exclaimed, a wide smile on her face. The soft notes of a piano filled the gym, signaling a slow song and the need to pair off. Adam looked awkwardly at Cassie.

"Mind if I have this dance?"

Cassie turned around and saw someone standing behind her. He was tall, with a lanky but built frame, like a runner. His hair was sandy-blond and cut close, showing off his dark blue eyes. He smiled at her. She felt like he was probably attractive, just not to her.

"Oh, uhh…" She turned around, and saw that Adam had already moved closer to Diana, as if assuming Cassie would automatically accept the dance with the handsome stranger. Frustrated, she turned back to him.

"Sure," she said, a little too firmly. He grinned, placing his hands on her waist.

"I'm Parker," he said.

"Cassie Blake. I don't think I've met you before?" She studied his face. There was something about it that was so familiar, but she couldn't place him. Maybe he was a Junior?

"No, we haven't met before," he said smoothly. "Which is too bad. I've always wanted to know my big sister."

Cassie hesitated a moment, standing still and staring at him, wondering if she heard him correctly. In her two-second pause, she had waited too long, and he had moved one arm around her waist firmly, and the other hand covered her mouth. She tried to scream through his hand, but even the slow song was too loud. Parker started to walk her off the dance floor, and Cassie's heart began racing. She screamed again, kicking toward Diana and Adam as Parker swiftly moved. Her shoe fell off and slid into Diana.

"Cassie!" She exclaimed, breaking away from Adam.

Parker moved into a sprint, his tall frame basically carrying Cassie's short frame, dodging confused couples as he parted through the sea of bodies. He kicked down the gym door, racing into the hallway and toward the cafeteria.

"Cassie!" Adam shouted from behind them, and the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway. Parker turned the corner, pushing through the door to the cafeteria and then immediately ducking around the corner, hiding behind the serving counter.

"Don't make a sound!" Parker commanded as he removed his hand from over Cassie's mouth. She tried to scream, "I'm right here!" for her friends to hear her, but instead nothing came out. Her eyes grew wide as she realized the command hadn't been an order to her, but a spell. As he retracted his palm and peered over the counter at the group who had just barged in, Cassie felt faint as she recognized the Balcoin symbol glowing on her hand.

"Cassie!"

This time it was Jake hollering. He flipped over one of the tables by the door, and yelled her name again.

"They came in here!"

That was Faye.

"We need to do a Locator Spell!"

Adam.

"No."

The voice was weak and soft, but Cassie recognized it as Diana's. Parker continued to keep one arm over her as they leaned against the cool metal, and Cassie began to panic at the immediate refusal to help her.

"What do you mean no?" Jake shouted. "She's in danger! We have to!"

"I'm not doing magic!" Diana yelled back. "Let's start looking! She's in here somewhere!"

Jake let out a strained grunt, and there was the sound of another table being flipped.

As footsteps headed over to the counter, Parker glared at Cassie, and signaled for her to move around the corner with him. Terrified, she obeyed, keeping her eyes firmly on the glowing symbol on his hand and thinking of the pain she had induced on the intruder last weekend. Was it him? As the pressed her hand against the cold tile floor, she could feel the comforting heat of her own Balcoin symbol.

The two moved behind the industrial refrigerator, and Cassie saw Diana and Adam looking where she had just been.

Cassie tried to scream for help, but, again, nothing came out. Parker glared at her furiously, and Adam started to turn around, a determined but desperate look on his face. They were going to leave…

Cassie acted quickly, grabbing a pot from the counter across from them. Parker lunged at him, but she used her smaller size to duck away from him, and threw the pot in front of where Adam and Diana were. They turned around, and saw Cassie's silently screaming face. She was running toward them, with Parker behind her.

"Cassie!" Adam yelled, grabbing onto her hand and pulling her away from the counter.

"Water boil, water—" Parker began yelling a curse, but Diana moved her arms in front of her face, yelling.

"NO!" She shouted, and the orange Balcoin symbol blazed on her hand. An amber bubble surrounded her, and then exploded, sending Parker flying backwards as if he had just been shoved by something powerful and heavy. The bubble smashed into Adam as well, sending him flying across the sleek stainless steel counter.

Diana stood, stunned, as Parker got back onto his feet and growled, charging at her. The bubble built up around her again, her face terrified and confused.

Cassie began choking, and Diana and Parker both turned to look at her. Parker tightened his fist, and Cassie's choking became worse. Parker smiled more broadly, revealing his small teeth. He began chanting under his breath, and Diana's protective bubble began shrinking as Cassie's choking became worse.

"Take his movement, take his voice," Jake began chanting, stepping between Parker and Cassie. Faye and Adam immediately joined him, standing nervously in a wall in front of her, chanting the spell.

"Diana!" Faye hissed. "Say it with us!"

Parker had begun shrinking back, his voice sputtering until it disappeared, and then collapsing onto the ground. Faye, Adam, and Jake began chanting in a firmer tone, some hope and strength regained.

Parker was attempting to squirm away, his movement seriously impeded, but still managing to fight through the weak power of three unbound witches.

"I can't," she squeaked, clutching the hand that was burning with the Balcoin symbol. Her whole body was trembling.

"You have to!" Jake shouted.

"I can't!" Diana screamed. With that, the concentration was broken, and Parker managed to leap away, darting past them and through the doors faster than any of them could run. Jake immediately sprinted off after them, but his speed was visibly less than Parker's.

"What the hell!" Adam shouted, turning to face Diana. "Why wouldn't you help?"

"I don't do that anymore!" Diana shrieked back, her face now red with rage. "You know that!"

"Cassie could have died!" Adam yelled back.

"But she didn't! Because we're always there to save her back, aren't we?"

"What is your problem?"

"You guys!" Faye interrupted, stepping between them. She had never had to take on the role of mediator before, much less between an enraged Adam and Diana, and the three of them immediately recognized the uncomfortable roles they had taken on.

"I have to go," Diana mumbled, ready to break away, but Faye grabbed her wrist.

"You can't be selfish like that," Faye said firmly.

"Oh, you would be the one to know all about that, wouldn't you?" Diana hissed, pulling her wrist free and storming out of the cafeteria.

Faye and Adam stared at her, dazed, and then turned to look at Cassie.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked softly. Cassie tried to say something, but her voice was too soft and sore…but it was coming back. Instead, she just nodded.

"Who was that?" Faye asked. "Was he…"

Cassie nodded, and held up her palm, displaying the glowing Balcoin symbol.

"Diana," Cassie managed to rasp. "Her magic…was helping…his."

Faye's eyes grew wide and Adam's jaw dropped. They stood together in the resonating silence of the cafeteria, the music from the dance a distant humming as they felt in the shockwaves of the powerful magic that had happened around them a few minutes earlier.


End file.
